US1980310A - Thermostatically-controlled fluid mixing unit - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 13, 1934. G. E. AMES THEHMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED FLUID MIXING UNIT Filed July 3, 1933 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 13, 1934 rnERMosTA'rmALLY-ooNTaoLIIEn FLUID MIXING UNIT George E. Ames, Oakland, Calif.,"assignor of onefourth to William E. Joost, one-fourth to Leon A. Rice, and one-fourth to William J. Vaughan,

all of Oakland, Calif.

Application July 3, 1933; Serial No. 678,894

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a means by which liquids or gases supplied from independent sources and at different temperatures may be mixed for dispensing from a common orifice and at a selec- I tive temperature.

An object of the invention is to provide a means of the character described in'which fluid in any amount desired, and at any desired temperature within the range of the device, will be available .101 at the common discharge orifice regardless of variations in'the pressure of the fluids supplied the device from the independent sources.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means of the character described, in which the .1 discharge of fluid from the device at a temperature exceeding that selected by the user cannot take place to any appreciable extent should the temperature as well as the pressure of thefiuid at either of the supply sources become materially 2.. greater'than normal.

'A further object of the invention is to provide a unit of the character described which will be extremely sensitive to variations in temperature and pressure of the fluid therein and correspondingly active in the necessary compensation 'for maintaining the selected conditions.

A still further object of the "invention is to provide a unit of the character described "which will insure proper mixing of the'dilferent incom- Q in'g fluids and at the same time allow communication of the latter with the thermostatic element only after complete'mixture thereof "has taken place. I

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the -foregoing, will be set forth int he following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming a part of the specification. It is to be I'l understood, however, that variationsin the showing made by the said drawing and description'may be adopted within the scope of the invention 'as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing: 5 Figure 1 is a side view of the unit of my invention with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the :unit. Figure 3 is a fragmentary front view of the unit. Figures 4 .and 5 are transverse sectional views vv5! at the unit taken on the lines 4-4 .and 5-5 of Inthe embodiment of the invention illustrated, the 2 :is used in connection with a hot water supply pipe 13 :and a cold water :ieed piped. and $5 wlesigne'dtto' afiord :a supply of water of selected temperature from a common outlet 5 with any number of branches 6+.va1v.e contr lled 0. v otherwise. Preferably the unit comp i$ a as, ing 7 having inlet connections 8' and .9 for. the hot and cold water pipes 3 and, 51 respectively.

Fixed within the casing 'isia cylindrical sleeve or liner 12 having one or more ports 1.3 i direct communication with the hot waterjinlet, and one ormore ports '14 inhcorrespondingassociation with the cold water inlet. Mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder 12 is 'a sleeve '16 having ports 17 and 18 approximately-of the. same size as and arranged for registration with theports 13 and 14 respectively. As will be clear fromFigs ure 2, the ports 17 and 118 are so located with respect .to each other and with the ports 13 and 14 that whensthe sliding sleeve is in a position causing full registration of ports 13 and 17, the ports 14 and 18 will .be completely out of registration, and conversely when the ports "14 and 18 are in full registration, the ports 13 and '17 will be lenti-rely out .of registration. Likewise,- the relationship of the ports lSiSllChithfi/t when the sleeve is moved to .cause a-greater Lor lesser aber-r ration of one set of ports, the other setuof ports and provides a chamber 19 wherein 'the streams of water from the differentinlets may be thor-v oughly mixed. Exit of thewater from the chamber '19 is through one or more openings 21 here shown formed in a wall '22 of the casing, which serves-to separate the chamber from a passage '23 for the mixed water.

By means of a spring 24 the sliding sleeve is urged to assume the position indicatedin Figure 2, that with the hot water ports' l'3 and '17 in full registration and the cold water ports completely closed. Preferably the movement of the sliding sleeve is limited so that in one extreme position the ports will'be as just specified, and inv the other extreme pos'ition the cold water ports will have moved to full open position while the 'hot water ports are completely closed. A convenient meansyof limiting the movement of the sleeve as aforesaid is by use ;of .azpin 26 fixed RE the sliding sleeve and engaging in a .slot ,27 in the fixed member .12.

:T'I'he positioning (of the slidable sleeve in :the cylinder is arran ed to the dep ndent :on th t m- .perature :of the water contained the passage .23., it being understood thatit isrfrom this passage that :the water is ordinarily drawn off for consumption. Disposed within the passage 23 and anchored at one end to the partition wall 22 is a thermostatic element 28 which is here shown in the form of a tube and extends through the passage for aconsiderable length thereof. The element 28 has a relatively high coefficient of expansion and is preferably formed of a material extremity of the rod and adjustable lorigitudi--' nally thereon is a member 32 which is "designed to engage a lever 33 fulcrumed for convenience on the post 31. The lever is engaged by the member intermediate theffulcrum point 34 and the end 35 engageable with the sleeve, and in order that a slight movementof the rod will effect a' more appreciable movement of. the sleeve the member is designed to engage the lever much closer to the'point 34 than to the end 35. For a more effective distribution of the force from the rod to the sleeve, .a duplicate of thelever 33 is provided for engagement with the sleeve at a point diametrically opposed to the point engaged by the other.

The member 32 is here shown with a screwthreaded engagement with the rod so that rotation of the member on the rod will efiect the longitudinal adjustment .of the member thereon. By means of a lock-nut 36 or the like the rod is secured to the tube in a manner preventing rotative displacement of the rod, and on the other 40 hand means manually. operable'and readily accessible to the user, are provided for efiecting rotation of the member 32. The latter means, as here shown, includes a crank or handle 37 fixed toa bevel gear'38 meshing. with a bevel gear 39 formed as a part of member 32. It will nowbe clear that sincethe element 28 is free to become extended or retracted at the end connected to the rod; expansion or contraction of the element will'produce' a corresponding descent or ascent of the rod and accordingly the member 32. 'Inthis way as the latter is drawn downwardly onuexpansion ofthe, element, the lever will be proportionally depressed by the member and the slidable sleeve will be appropriately lowered to reduce the flow of water through the hot water ports and in like ratio increase the flow through the cold water ports. Likewise on temperature conditions in the'passage becoming colder and thereby effecting a contraction of the element the rodwill rise and thus cause a corresponding release on the levers with the consequent elevation of the sleeve and a reduction and increase of'the flow through the cold water and hot water ports respectively. It may be here notedthat since the axial displacement of the rodis at most relatively small, the desired engagement, between the bevel gears will not be interfered with ."on said displacement.

I 'In order that the operator may readily select the temperature at which the water will be'dispensedf from the unit-an indicator'41 is fixed to the control handle 37 and is arranged for cooperation with a dial 42 on which is delineated appropriate I matter such as hot, medium, cold; When the pointer is positioned opposite hot the member 32 will have been adjusted to assume its most elevated position on the rod so that regardless of the temperature of the water in passage 23 the sleeve will be positioned to cause full registration of the hot waterports and complete closure of the cold waterports. The device may be designed to render the sleeve at alltimes subject to the influence of the therever there may be dispensed without interruptemperature at which the water issupplied. Thus evenif the water in passag :23 is com,-;

tion or variation a continuous stream at the full paratively cool when -the pointer is first moved to hot, the subsequent displacement of. the cold,

by the hot water will not bring about a lowering of the rod to effect movement of the sleeve.

With either of the foregoing designs, however,

when the operator positions the pointer opposite or near medium, the member 32,,willbe ail-,-

justed to an intermediate position on the rod and the latter will cause member 32 to force the sleeve to the intermediate position with both sets;

of ports partially open, Ifthe water in passage 23'has been hot, then as it becomes; cooler with admission of the cold vwater,the rod willraise suiiiciently to cause the proper admixture ofthe Water in, accordance with the setting of the pointer In the same manner should the water in the passage have been colder than that for which the pointer is set, the incoming hot water will cause a lowering of the rod'. and the conse'- quent like adjustment of the inlets.

-It,wil l be evident that should the ressure or' the temperature in either of the water inlets vary from the normal, the increase or decrease in the amount or temperature of the water then admitted in the passage will cause a corresponding raising or-lowering of the rodand' an adjustment in the positioning of the sleeve to compensate the abnormal or subnormal pressure or temperature. For example, should the pressure of the hotiwater increase, the resultant lowering of the rod would cause a proportionate decrease in the extent of registration of the hot water ports and an increase in the amount of registration of thefcoldwater ports, thus still affording a water dischargefrom the unit in strict accordance with the temperature indicated; on the dial. In the sameway, should the pressure of the cold water increase, theadditionalamount of cold water admittedto the passage will cause a contraction of the I'thermostatic element and the consequent elevation of the sleeve.

It is believed that theconstruction andopera tion of the unit of my invention, tand-its effective accomplishment of the objects hereinbefore re: ferred to, will now be clear. I i

I claim: p I 1 1. In a device of the character described, .a mix-' ing'chamber portion with separate inlets for admitting relatively hot and cold fluids to the cha n ber portion, a valve unit in said chamber portion displaceable to decrease the now from one inlet and automatically and correspondingly increase the flow from the other, a chamber portion into which the liquid from the first chamber portion empties, a perforated partition separating said chamber portions, manually controlled means to move said valve unit to its different displaceable positions, a tubular thermostatic element fixed at one end thereof to said partition and extending into said second chamber portion, a rod secured to the other end of said element and extending centrally therethrough and through said partition and connected to said valve unit and operative on variation of the temperature in said chamber portion to move said means to displace said valve unit.

2. In a device of the character described, a mixing chamber portion with separate inlets for admitting relatively hot and cold fluids to the chamber portion, a sleeve fixed in said chamber portion having openings registering with said inlets, a sleeve mounted for reciprocation in said first sleeve and provided with openings registering with said first openings and displaceable to decrease the flow from one inlet and automatically and correspondingly increase the flow from the other, a chamber portion into which the liquid from the first chamber portion empties, a perforated partition separating saidchamber portions, a hollow supporting post secured to said partition and extending into said first chamber, arms pivoted tosaid post and engaging for displacing said second sleeve to each of its different positions, a tubular thermostatic element secured at one end to said partition and extending into said second chamber portion, a rod secured adjacent one end to the other end of said element and extending centrally therethrough and through said partition and said post, a member threaded on the other end of said rod and engaging said arms, and a manually operable means engaging and rotating said member to actuate said arms and sleeve independent of the thermostatic element.

GEORGE E. AMES.

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