WO2005080840A1

WO2005080840A1 - Water-saving valve system

Info

Publication number: WO2005080840A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/000426
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ro Seok Kim
Original assignee: Ro Seok Kim
Priority date: 2004-02-21
Filing date: 2005-02-18
Publication date: 2005-09-01
Also published as: KR200349335Y1; JP2007524796A

Abstract

Provided is a water-saving valve system. The water-saving valve system includes a valve unit comprising a housing member, a base member supported in the housing member and formed with at least one water inlet and at least one water outlet, a disc member rotatably installed at the base member, and a lever member rotating the disc member with respect to the base member to selectively control the flow of water from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, a frame in which the valve unit is installed, a motor, installed in the frame, being reversibly rotated at a predetermined angle, a power transmission unit transmitting a rotation force of the motor to the lever member, and a rotary angle limiting unit, installed in the frame, limiting a rotary angle of the lever member.

Description

Description WATER-SAVING VALVE SYSTEM Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a valve system, and more particularly, to a valve system which is improved in a valve unit and an operating unit operating the valve unit. Background Art [2] Generally, water-supply facilities installed in plants, baths, lavatories, water stations, shower rooms, home basin sinks, etc., permit the continued supply of water once operated. [3] Such continued water supply causes water waste when water consumption is not required. Thus, the installation of water-saving devices is encouraged in water-supply facilities to control water supply so that flushing occurs only when used. Most of water-saving devices or water supply systems include a valve unit controlling water supply and an operating unit operating the valve unit. [4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-173048 discloses a foot-operated water-saving apparatus including a valve main body, a metal hose, and a pedal part fixed to the valve main body via the metal hose and actuating a valve by a cable. The water-saving apparatus controls the flow of water from a water faucet by a wire inserted in and ejected out of a folding roller of the pedal part. [5] U.S. Patent No. 5,199,119 discloses a push button valve connected to a foot pedal via a wire cable and operated by the fool pedal. U.S. Patent No. 5,263,684 discloses a valve structure for operating a water faucet valve mechanism using a cable connected to a pedal. [6] However, the above-described pedal-operated valve systems have a relatively complicated structure, and involve an inconvenient operating procedure in which a valve is operated only when an external force is applied to a pedal. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [7] The present invention provides a valve system using a disc-shaped valve with high operational reliability and easy operating mechanism. [8] The present invention also provides a valve system controlling the flow of water in various modes using the rotation movement of a disc member with respect to a base member formed with an inlet(s) and an outlet(s). [9] The present invention also provides a valve system capable of manually operating a valve unit during stopping of a motor. Technical Solution

[10] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water-saving valve system including: a valve unit including a housing member, a base member supported in the housing member and formed with at least one water inlet and at least one water outlet, a disc member rotatably installed at the base member, and a lever member rotating the disc member with respect to the base member to selectively control the flow of water from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet; a frame in which the valve unit is installed; a motor, installed in the frame, being reversibly rotated at a predetermined angle; a power transmission unit transmitting a rotation force of the motor to the lever member; and a rotary angle limiting unit, installed in the frame, limiting a rotary angle of the lever member.

[11] In the present invention, the power transmission unit includes a driven gear installed at the lever member and a driving gear installed at a pivot of the motor and engaged with the driven gear. The water-saving valve system may further include an auxiliary operating unit installed at the driven gear to manually actuate the lever member during stopping of the motor.

[12] The rotary angle limiting unit includes a blocking projection formed at a front part of the driven gear to a predetermined length along a rotation track of the driven gear, and a stopper installed in the frame to define the reversible rotation of the blocking projection within the rotary angle of the lever member.

[13] Alternatively, the present invention provides a water-saving valve system including a valve unit comprising a housing member, a base member supported in the housing member and formed with at least one water inlet and at least one water outlet, a disc member rotatably installed at the base member, and a lever member rotating the disc member with respect to the base member to selectively control the flow of water from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, a frame in which the valve unit is installed, a motor with a speed reducer, installed in the frame, being reversibly rotated at a predetermined angle, a power transmission unit driven by the motor, comprising a driving gear installed at a pivot of the speed reducer and a driven gear installed at the lever member and engaged with the driving gear, and a rotary angle limiting unit, installed in the frame, controlling a rotary angle of the lever member defining a rotary angle of the motor or the driving gear. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a basin sink provided with a water-saving valve system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[15] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the water-saving valve system of FIG. 1 including a rotary angle limiting unit; [16] FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway sectional view of the water-saving valve system of FIG. i;

[17] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the water-saving valve system of FIG. 1 ;

[18] FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway perspective view illustrating a water-saving valve system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[19] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating another example of a rotary angle limiting unit according to the present invention; and

[20] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the operation of the rotary angle limiting unit of FIG. 2. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[21] A water-saving valve system according to the present invention is installed in water-supply facilities of baths, lavatories, water stations, shower rooms, home basin sinks, toilets, etc. The water-saving valve system supplies cold and/hot water by controlling a valve unit using the rotation force of a motor.

[22] FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate a water-saving valve system equipped in a basin sink according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[23] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, a water-saving valve system 10 is installed at connection pipes 16, two of which are respectively connected to water supply pipes 12 and 13 for cold and hot water supply and the other being connected to an outlet of a control valve 14 and a nozzle 15, to control water supply. The water-saving valve system 10 include a valve unit 30 installed in a frame 20; a motor 40 installed in the frame 20; a power transmission unit 50 transmitting the rotation force of the motor 40 to a lever member 37 of the valve unit 30; and a rotary angle limiting unit 60, installed in the frame 20, limiting the rotary angle of the lever member 37 for the operation of the valve unit 30. The water-saving valve system 10 may further include a manual operating unit 70 manually operating the lever member 37 during a power failure or a complete discharge of a battery for driving the motor 40.

[24] Hereinafter, the constitutional elements for the water-saving valve system 10 will be described in more detail.

[25] The valve unit 30 is supported or fixed in the frame 20. The valve unit 30 includes a housing 34 including a first member 32 formed with a lever member projection 31 and a second member 33 interlocked with the first member 32 to seal the inside of the housing 34; a base member 35, installed in the housing 34, including at least one inlet 35a and at least one outlet 35b; a disc member 36 installed to be reversibly rotated with respect to the base member 35 and formed with an auxiliary fluid path 36a connecting the at least one inlet 35a and the at least one outlet 35b; and a lever member 37 projected out through the projection 31 of the first member 32 and reversibly rotating the disc member 36 with respect to the base member 35 to control the flow of water from the at least one inlet 35a to the at least one outlet 35b.

[26] The valve unit 30 is inserted in an auxiliary housing 39 and pressurized and supported by a pressing member 39a screwed into the auxiliary housing 39. At this time, the at least one inlet 35a and the at least one outlet 35b are connected to at least one inlet pipe 16a and at least one outlet pipe 16b which are connection pipes installed at the auxiliary housing 39 via the second member 33.

[27] The valve unit 30 is not limited to the above-described embodiment provided that the constitutional elements of the valve unit 30 are slidably fitted to the base member 35 so that the flow of water from the at least one inlet 35a to the at least one outlet 35b can be controlled. For example, the valve unit may have the structure where the base member is formed with first and second inlets for inflow of cold water and hot water, respectively, and an outlet for outflow of a mixed water of the cold water and the hot water. Alternatively, the base member may also be formed with two inlets and two outlets for inflow and outflow of cold water and hot water, respectively. In this case, when the disc member is reversibly rotated by reversibly rotating the lever member, the inlets and the outlets can be selectively opened or closed.

[28] The power transmission unit 50 includes a driven gear 51 installed at the lever member 37 of the valve unit 30 and a driving gear 52 installed at a pivot of the motor 40 and engaged with the driven gear 51. Here, the motor 40 may be a geared motor equipped with a speed reducer. The driven gear 51 and the driving gear 52 may be bevel gears so that the motor 40 is perpendicular to the valve unit 30 to ensure efficient configuration and the transmission of strong rotation force. The power transmission unit 50 is not limited to the above-described embodiment provided that the reversible rotation force of the motor 40 can be transmitted to the lever member 37. For example, the power transmission unit 50 may be composed of a timing pulley installed at each pivot of the lever member 37 and the motor 40, and a timing belt wound around the timing pulley. Further, for the purpose of efficient configuration, the driven gear 51 and the driving gear 52 may also be spur gears, as shown in FIG. 4.

[29] The rotary angle limiting unit 60 limits a rotary angle of the reversible rotation movement of the motor 40 or the lever member 37. Referring to FIG. 2, a front side of the driven gear 51 is formed with a drop portion 61 with a predetermined depth, and the drop portion 61 is formed with a blocking projection 62 limiting the rotary angle of the driven gear 51. The rotary angle limiting unit 60 includes a stopper 64 formed with a blocking portion 63, which is fixed to the frame 20 and extended to the drop portion 61 to limit the rotary angle of the blocking projection 62. Here, the motor 40 is controlled by a controller (not shown). The controller may include a load detection sensor detecting a load applied to the motor 40 due to contact between the blocking projection 62 and the blocking portion 63. When the load is detected, the controller stops the motor 40. The rotary angle of the blocking projection 62 may be changed according to the type of the valve unit 30. For example, in the case of using a valve unit including one inlet and one outlet, the blocking projection 62 is rotated at an angle of 180 or 45 degrees. On the other hand, in the case of using a valve unit including two inlets and two outlets, the blocking projection 62 is rotated within an angle of 45 degrees.

[30] The rotary angle limiting unit 60 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, the rotary angle limiting unit 60 may also include a rotary angle- limiting blocking projection 65 formed at the driving gear 52 or the driven gear 51, and a limit switch 66 (or a proximity sensor) controlling the motor 40 by contacting it with the blocking projection 65. In addition, the rotary angle limiting unit 60 may also be a stepping motor capable of controlling the rotary angle of the blocking projection 65.

[31] The manual operating unit 70 manually operates the lever member 37 during a power failure or a complete discharge of a battery for driving the motor 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 64 is formed with a stepped hollow portion 71 through which the lever member 37 is exposed. The hollow portion 71 is provided with a manual lever member 73 with a coupling hole 73a, which is elastically biased to the outside by an elastic member, i.e., a spring 72, and is coupled with the lever member 37 when pressed.

[32] The manual operating unit 70 is not limited to the above-described embodiment provided that the lever member 37 or the motor 40 can be pivoted. For example, referring to FIG. 5, a manual lever member 75 may be integrally formed with the driving gear 52 or the driven gear 51. The manual lever member 75 is required to be projected out of the frame 20 to easily manually operate the lever member 37.

[33] Meanwhile, a battery for power supply to the motor 40 may be installed in the frame 20.

[34] The operation of a water-saving valve system with the above-described construction will now be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.

[35] First, a water-saving valve system is installed in a basin sink. That is, at least one inlet pipe and at least one outlet pipe of a valve unit are connected to connection pipes connected to an outlet of a control valve and a nozzle (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[36] In this state, when a motor is driven by a controller to operate the valve unit, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to a lever member via a speed reducer to rotate the lever member. Therefore, the flow of water from at least one inlet to at least one outlet is controlled. That is, when a disc member is rotated with respect to a base member, the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet are connected through an auxiliary fluid path formed in the disc member. For example, in a case where the base member of the valve unit is formed with first and second inlets for inflow of cold water and hot water, respectively, and first and second outlets for outflow of cold water and hot water, respectively, the first and second inlets and the first and second outlets are selectively connected by the rotation movement of the disc member with respect to the base member.

[37] During this procedure, a blocking projection formed at a driven gear and a stopper with a blocking portion formed at a frame limit the rotary angle of the lever member actuated by the motor (see FIG. 7). When the blocking portion interlocks with the blocking projection, a load of the motor is increased. When the increased load of the motor is detected by a load detection sensor, the motor is stopped by the controller. In a case where a blocking projection and a limit switch are used to limit the rotary angle of the lever member (see FIG. 6), the limit switch operated by contacting with the blocking projection during rotation of the driven gear or the driving gear stops the motor.

[38] With respect to a cut-off of water supply by the valve unit, the motor is rotated in an opposite direction to the rotating direction of the motor for water supply.

[39] Meanwhile, in a case where the motor cannot be driven due to a power failure or a complete discharge of a battery for driving the motor, the valve unit can be operated using a manual operating unit. The lever member is fittingly coupled with a coupling hole of a manual lever member projected out of the frame by pressing the manual lever member. The lever member of the valve unit is reversibly rotated by actuating the manual lever member. In a case where the manual lever member is integrally formed with the driving gear or the driven gear (see FIG. 5), the valve unit is operated in such a way that the forward or backward rotation of the manual lever member permits the disc member to rotate with respect to the base member of the valve unit. Industrial Applicability

[40] As described above, in the water-saving valve system according to the present invention, a valve unit can be operated by rotating a disc member with respect to a base member of the valve unit using a motor. Therefore, manipulation and maint enance are easy, and high operational reliability is ensured.

[41] While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and equivalents in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

[1] A water-saving valve system comprising: a valve unit comprising a housing member, a base member supported in the housing member and formed with at least one water inlet and at least one water outlet, a disc member rotatably installed at the base member, and a lever member rotating the disc member with respect to the base member to selectively control the flow of water from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet; a frame in which the valve unit is installed; a motor, installed in the frame, being reversibly rotated at a predetermined angle; a power transmission unit transmitting a rotation force of the motor to the lever member; and a rotary angle limiting unit, installed in the frame, limiting a rotary angle of the le ver member.

[2] The water-saving valve system of claim 1, wherein the power transmission unit comprises a driven gear installed at the lever member and a driving gear installed at a pivot of the motor and engaged with the driven gear.

[3] The water-saving valve system of claim 1, further comprising a manual operating unit installed at the driven gear to manually actuate the lever member during stopping of the motor.

[4] The water-saving valve system of claim 2, wherein the rotary angle limiting unit comprises a blocking projection formed at a front part of the driven gear to a predetermined length along a rotation track of the driven gear, and a stopper installed in the frame to define the reversible rotation of the blocking projection within the rotary angle of the lever member.

[5] The water-saving valve system of claim 3, wherein the manual operating unit comprises a manual lever member formed at a front surface of the driven gear and projected out of a through-hole formed at the frame.

[6] A water-saving valve system comprising: a valve unit comprising a housing member, a base member supported in the housing member and formed with at least one water inlet and at least one water outlet, a disc member rotatably installed at the base member, and a lever member rotating the disc member with respect to the base member to selectively control the flow of water from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet; a frame in which the valve unit is installed; a motor with a speed reducer, installed in the frame, being reversibly rotated at a predetermined angle; a power transmission unit driven by the motor, comprising a driving gear installed at a pivot of the speed reducer and a driven gear installed at the lever member and engaged with the driving gear; and a rotary angle limiting unit, installed in the frame, controlling a rotary angle of the lever member defining a rotary angle of the motor or the driving gear.