WO2005085688A1

WO2005085688A1 - A dual flow valve cartridge

Info

Publication number: WO2005085688A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/001200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Trevor Thomas Esplim
Original assignee: Tatic Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-03-10
Filing date: 2004-09-06
Publication date: 2005-09-15

Abstract

A dual flow valve cartridge (1) for insertion into the body of a tap in order to maintain a fluid tight seal with the valve seat of the tap and to control the flow of fluid through it, said cartridge being arranged to partially open to provide a restricted hands free maximum fluid flow while having the ability to provide a faster fluid flow when the spindle is rotated further against the biasing force of a spring, said cartridge comprising: a body (2) having threads (14) for attaching it into the tap; at least one discharge passageway (12); a spindle (4) located within the body by means of a screw thread (32) and having a handle attachment end and a pin located transversely to the axis of the spindle; a movable valve (5) incorporating a throttling pin (8); a throttle orifice housing (11) having a centrally-aligned variable-throttling passageway comprising a small inlet orifice and an angled inner bore which increases in diameter and has an upper retaining groove on its upper surface and a lower retaining groove on its lower surface; a main valve seal (39) positioned in the upper retaining groove; a locating means to assist in maintaining the main seal in position; a further valve seal (13) positioned within the lower retaining groove and forming a fluid-tight seal with the valve seat; a biasing means (24) to prevent the spindle remaining in a position past the hands-free position;and a flow adjustment means (21) for setting the position of the biasing means thereby varying the maximum flow when the spindle is rotated to the limit of its hands-free travel.

Description

_r_ AL A E In the second half of the last century, tap and tap component manufacturers started to introduce ceramic valve technology into the tapware market. Originally this was in the form of quarter turn valves which controlled single temperature taps. As the problems associated with the designs became obvious, they progressed to half and three quarter turn cartridges in order to provide better flow control with less side effects such as water hammer. Later they produced single lever mixer valves which allowed the temperature to be varied while being delivered via a single spout. In use ceramic valves can be subjected to operating conditions whereby they can shatter and thus produce a condition whereby the valve cannot be turned off. After much research the dual flow valve cartridge has been developed using metal and o-ring components to provide a cost effective product which does not require the intricate machining needed for the ceramic cartridge bodies while providing additional features which are not found in existing tapware. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The current invention seeks to address the worldwide problem of water wastage which occurs with domestic water usage when water taps are turned on too far and the water is allowed to pass to the drain without having been productively used. One embodiment of this dual flow valve cartridge can be described as providing a selectable dual flow water conserving tapware and dual flow valve cartridge. This cartridge provides a water limiting function by allowing the tap owner to set an intermediate maximum flow rate for that tap when it is turned on to a hands free position. When a faster flow rate is required, it can have its maximum flow set for those times when the tap is held fully open. The tap can be provided with pre-set flow rate setting for this hands-free function as well as allowing for a maximum dual flow rate to be selected as well. An additional feature has also been included which allows the maximum hands-free mode setting to be the maximum flow rate for that application. The advantages of this style of dual flow valve cartridge allows the user to access a restricted flow of water while allowing a faster flow rate to be ab a.rrø if the tap δs fosrcib.y held © en against a f ias.iπsg means, such ias ng means is a emp ing o re urn e ap o e seiecteα nanαs- ree maximum restricted flow rate. Therefore for normal tasks like hand washing, teeth cleaning, etc they will allow for an adequate flow of water suitable for the task without allowing the tap to waste greater amounts. Should the need for greater flows be required, the user can hold the tap in its fully open position against the biasing means, for tasks such as filling kettles and water containers and the like, thereby allowing a fixed volume of water to be obtained in less time. In this manner the dual flow valve cartridge can be used for basins, tubs, showers and the like to produce considerable water savings. As well, already existing tap bodies which have been installed in the above locations can be converted by inserting this dual flow valve cartridge. Another feature of the dual flow valve cartridge allows the flow rate of that unit to be adjusted without first having to turn off any upstream water supply tap valves. Also for new installations, individual upstream isolation valves are not required, unlike many of the ceramic valve cartridges which are currently in use. One of the many advantages the current invention has over the existing ceramic cartridge tapware is that it is less expensive to manufacture, does not produce 'water hammer' when is operation, does not have sliding ceramic surfaces which require continual lubrication in order to function properly and can include an operational and effective non-return function. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When ceramic disc cartridge tapware was introduced last century, it was found that the varying quality and condition of the water being supplied could have a very disastrous effect on the sliding contact between the ceramic discs. After being used for some time, a condition occurs which makes a smooth sliding movement between these surfaces impossible and they are often difficult to turn on and off. Also the original quarter to half turn ceramic taps would abruptly shear off the water flow as the tap was turned of quickly thus causing excessive water hammer with the associated noise and pipe rattle. This feature alone has caused the reputation of the ceramic valve technology to be tarnished somewhat. With the Current

'rø-A A ve emp.r.as.s mϊer conservation, ttie current ggi* _ provi e an inven ive so u ion w ere y, u i ising e context or e replaceable ceramic cartridge concept, a dual flow valve cartridge is provided which is cheaper to manufacture, is unable to produce the violent pressure changes which create water hammer, is able to be selectively set to produce a hands-free maximum flow rate and which is able to produce a higher flow rate if the tap is held fully open. Another disadvantage of the ceramic valves and taps was that they often required an additional valve mechanism to be installed upstream in order to regulate the maximum flow rate of fluid through that device. The need for this additional valving system has been eliminated by the current invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which: Drawing 1 shows one embodiment of the relationship of the many various components and the condition of the dual flow cartridge valve when it is in the closed position. Drawing 2 shows the relationship of these components when the device has been turned on about a quarter of a turn. Drawing 3 shows the relationship of these components when the valve is open by about half a turn. Drawing 4 shows the relationship of these components when the valve is fully opened. Drawings 5 to 8 show an embodiment of the current invention in its shortened stubby form. While the previous four drawings depict the style of dual flow valve cartridge suitable for the long spindled elegant tapware, the latter drawings depict the low profile style of tap where the tap mechanism is hidden beneath a lengthened, taller tap handle. BEST METHOD OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION Referring to the first embodiment of the invention as shown in drawing 1, the dual flow valve cartridge 1 has a body 2 which has at least one discharge passageway 3, a spindle 4 which in this embodiment is in a meshing relationship with the body by the spindle threads 32, a movable vaive 5 which slides within the body and in this embodiment makes a sϋding anc se ling contact with the body via the sea. sit 16₌ Other emnibod.nients ou a pi . v va ve nas on its ower outer periphery which is in the form of a radius the main sealing portion 7, a throttle pin 8 extends from the base of the movable valve, a resilient main valve seal 30 is positioned by a locating means 10 and resides within an upper retaining groove 39 in the throttle orifice housing 11. Located on the base of the throttle orifice housing is a lower retaining groove 40 into which is positioned a valve seal 13 which makes a compressive seal with the valve seat (not shown) when the dual flow valve cartridge is installed into the pipe network (not shown) via the body attaching threads 14. The variable diameter throttling passageway 12 within the throttling orifice housing and its relationship with the throttling pin will be described in greater detail in the subsequent drawings. It will be noted however that the diameter of its inlet orifice 41 is only slightly larger that the diameter of the throttling pin and it is stepped to a larger diameter within. The spindle has a pin 27 which in operation makes contact with the spring tab 28. The spring 24 surrounds the spindle as does the flow adjustment 21 and the flow lock nut 22. During assembly the spindle with pin installed is screwed into its closed position within the body and bottoms onto the tap body at point 31. Next the flow adjustment with spring installed is inserted into the tap body in the position shown and it is prevented from rotating due to the spline profile on its outer circumference and the matching profile which had been plunged into the tap body and is called the engagement spline 26. This is then locked into place by the flow lock nut 22 by screwing it into the internal thread 23. The rotational positioning of the flow adjustment determines the position of the spring tab 28 relative to the pin 27 and defines that point of valve opening where the hands free maximum flow is achieved. The function of the spindle tab 25 shall be described further in the later drawings. During installation into the tap, the dual flow valve cartridge 1 has Teflon tape wrapped around the upper portion of the body attaching threads 14 to ensure a fluid tight seal with the tap body. The dual flow valve cartridge is screwed into the tap body until the valve seal 13 makes a firm compressive seal with the taps valve seat (not shown). As this occurs the upward pressure of the compressive set forces the throttle orifice housing to press the locating means ixAy into the body. Tin's action compresses the main va.vc ε aδ 30 _ . _{. .} an o s rm y in posi ion. o y oc ing nu no s own; is tnen p ace onto the body attachment threads and is screwed down firmly onto the top of the tap body to prevent the body 2 from working loose during use. As for the movable valve, it is shown here in its closed position the whereby the throttle pin 8 is located in the smallest diameter of the variable throttling passageway 12 and the main sealing portion 7 is making a sealing contact with the main valve seal 30. It should be noted that when the dual flow valve cartridge is in its closed position as shown, the lower surface of the movable valve which is surrounded by the main sealing portion 7 makes contact with the throttle orifice housing 11 which in turn helps to ensure a firm contact between the valve seal 13 and the lower portion of the body which it is in contact with and the taps valve seat. The handle attachment 6 provides a means of attaching the handle (not shown) to the spindle 4. The tap cover thread 9 provides for a tap cover (not shown) to be fitted to the tap prior to the installation of the handle. In drawing 2 is shown the condition when the spindle 4 has been rotated about one quarter turn and has been raised about 0.5 of a millimetre from its rest position. The pin 27 has not made an interfering contact with the spring tab 28 and the throttle pin 8 is still within the smallest diameter of the variable throttling passageway 12. The remaining flow passageway which exists between the throttle pin and the variable throttling passageway is controlling a very restricted flow of fluid which is passed between the main valve seal 30 and the main sealing portion 7 of the movable valve 5. In this condition, as the flow restriction is occurring away from the main valve seal, the likelihood of noise being produced by the o-ring which forms the main valve seal has bee eliminated. In drawing 3 the spindle 4 has been rotated about one half turn, has moved upwards about 1 millimetre and in this drawing the pin 27 has just come into contact with the spring tab 28 and the biasing strength of the spring 24 limits the hands free opening movement of the tap. In this condition a maximum flow rate has been achieved for the valve when the spindle is not being held open against the biasing effect of the spring. It will be understood that for this maximum hands free flow rate to be altered, it is a simple operation to first p'.ece t e spindie 4 into its off position, then _ _ __ remove e ow oc nu an move e ow a justment rrom i s position in the body 2 where it maintains its meshed and non-rotational position within the engagement spline 26. Once it no longer meshes it can be rotated and repositioned and upon reinstalling the lock nut, the hands free maximum can be thus altered. It should be noted that this adjustment can be made while mains pressure is still available to the tap and the main isolation valve does not need to be closed. It will be seen in this drawing that the main sealing portion 7 of the movable valve 5 is well clear of the main valve seal 30 and that the flow restriction is occurring in the passageway space between the throttle pin 8 and the angled sides of the variable throttling passageway 12. The altering of the flow adjustment as described above provides a varying position of the spindle which in turn allows the position of the throttle pin to vary its relationship with the angled internal bore of the variable throttling passageway thus producing different flows when the spindle is in its maximum hands free position. In drawing 4 the spindle 4 has been rotated to its maximum opened position, has been raised about 1.5 millimetres and the spindle tab 25 impacts upon the flow adjustment 21. In this position the spindle is being held open against the biasing force of the spring 24 as the pin (which cannot be seen) has engaged the spring tab which also cannot be seen. In this condition the lower end of the throttling pin 8 is located in the widest portion of the variable throttling passageway 12 and is providing maximum flow through the dual flow valve cartridge 1. It should be noted that in one embodiment of this invention, in the condition as illustrated in this drawing, the effective flow passageway between the lower end of the throttling pin and the inner bore of the variable throttling passageway is the smallest cross sectional area of any other passageway present in the device including the sum of all of the discharge passageways. In order to limit the maximum flow rate obtained when the spindle is turned fully open a shim (not shown) can be inserted between the spindle tab and the flow adjustment which will limit the distance the movable valve can open. In the four drawings above the movable valve 5 is in the form of a mo able jumper valve. It should be obvious to anyone skilled in the art that this movab.e jumper valve could be re l ced by a movable loose jumper va ve provi ing e sea were reposi ione on o e spmαie 4 to provi e for a water tight seal to be maintained between the spindle and the body thus allowing for the movable loose jumper valve to move freely within the body 2. In drawing 5 the flow adjustment 21 fits over the top of the body 2 and has the spring 24 captured at point 35. The spindle 4 is inserted into the body through the base and once it has been screwed into position, the pin 27 is installed. In operation to prevent the over tightening of any of the internal components, the pin bottoms out on the top of the body. Seals 16 prevent fluid from flowing to atmosphere along the axis of the spindle. In this embodiment of the invention the previously described movable valve is now the lower portion of the spindle. As the operation of that lower section of the dual flow valve cartridge has been described in detail, this and the following drawings will detail the operation of the spindle rotation. The body has body attaching threads 14 which allow the body to be screwed into a tap (not shown). An o-ring sealing grove 37 holds an o-ring (not shown) and the body's insertion into the tap is such that as the main valve seal 30 is contacting the taps valve seat, the hexagonal flange 38 makes contact with the tap body. The adjusting screw 36 allows the flow adjustment 21 to be positioned relative to the pin and the spring tab 28 to achieve the hands free maximum as previously described. Again, this adjustment can be achieved with the mains water supply still connected to the tap. At the top end of the spindle a handle attachment 6 is provided. In drawing 6 the spindle 4 has rotated one quarter of a turn and has yet to touch the spring tab 28. In figure 7 the pin 27 is in contact with the spring tab 28 and as the spring is being held by the flow adjustment 21 the maximum hands free flow rate has been achieved. In figure 8 the spindle is rotated to its maximum flow and the spindle impacts with the body at the shaft tab 25 to prevent further rotation. Pin 27 has rotated the spring tab (out of view) and the spring 24 is biasing the spindle towards the maximum hands free position. _. A dual flow valve cartridge for insertion into a taps body in order to maintain a fluid tight seal with the taps valve seat and to control the flow of fluid flowing through it, said cartridge being arranged to partially open to provide a restricted hands free maximum fluid flow while having the ability to provide a faster fluid flow when the spindle is rotated further against the biasing force of a spring, said cartridge comprising, a body which has body attaching threads for attaching it into the tap, at least one discharge passageway, a spindle which is located within the body by means of a screw thread and which has a handle attachment end and a pin located at ninety degrees to the axis of the spindle, a movable valve which incorporates a throttling pin, a throttle orifice housing which contains a centrally aligned variable throttling passageway which has a small inlet orifice and an angled inner bore which increases in diameter and on its upper surface is an upper retaining groove and on its lower surface is a lower retaining groove, a main valve seal which is positioned within the upper retaining groove, a locating means which assists to maintain the main valve seal in position, a valve seal which is positioned within the lower retaining grove and which forms a fluid tight seal with the taps valve seat, a biasing means which will prevent the spindle from remaining unaided in a position past a hands free maximum position, a flow adjustment for setting the position of the biasing means so as to vary the maximum fluid flow when the spindle is rotated to the limit of its hands free travel. Preferably the spindle and the movable valve are of unitary construction. Preferably when the movable valve is in its closed position, the outer circumference of its lower surface forms a main sealing portion which makes a sealing contact with the main valve seal. Preferably the throttling pin extends into the small inlet orifice when the movable valve is in its closed position. Preferably as the spindle rotates and the movable valve starts to open and the seal between the main sealing portion and the main valve seal is broken, the throttling pin still extends into the small inlet orifice and this causes a sever restriction of the iul flow at the end of the throttling p _ _. _ re erab y as e mova e pis on opens ur er tne tnrottimg pin is drawn into the wider diameter of the variable throttling passageway and the fluid flow increases. Preferably located at the top end of the body is a flow adjustment which is adjustable in a circular rotation around the axis of the body. Preferably the biasing means is a spring, one end of which attaches to the flow adjustment and the other end is formed into a spring tab which can have an interfering contact with the pin. Preferably located at the top end of the body is a flow adjustment which is adjustable in a circular rotation around the axis of the body and this adjustment changes the degrees of rotation of the spindle before the pin engages with the spring tab. Preferably the hands free adjustment of the biasing means can be achieved without disconnecting the tap from the main fluid supply. Preferably the throttle orifice housing can be replaced with one which has a different profile to its variable throttling passageway so as to change the performance flow characteristics to suit individual situations. Preferably a dual flow valve cartridge substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings 1 to 8.

Claims

S:- 1 A dual flow valve cartridge for insertion into a taps body in order to maintain a fluid tight seal with the taps valve seat and to control the flow of fluid flowing through it, said cartridge being arranged to partially open to provide a restricted hands free maximum fluid flow while having the ability to provide a faster fluid flow when the spindle is rotated further against the biasing force of a spring, said cartridge comprising, a body which has body attaching threads for attaching it into the tap, at least one discharge passageway, a spindle which is located within the body by means of a screw thread and which has a handle attachment end and a pin located at ninety degrees to the axis of the spindle, a movable valve which incorporates a throttling pin, a throttle orifice housing which contains a centrally aligned variable throttling passageway which has a small inlet orifice and an angled inner bore which increases in diameter and on its upper surface is an upper retaining groove and on its lower surface is a lower retaining groove, a main valve seal which is positioned within the upper retaining groove, a locating means which assists to maintain the main valve seal in position, a valve seal which is positioned within the lower retaining grove and which forms a fluid tight seal with the taps valve seat, a biasing means which will prevent the spindle from remaining unaided in a position past a hands free maximum position, a flow adjustment for setting the position of the biasing means so as to vary the maximum fluid flow when the spindle is rotated to the limit of its hands free travel. 2 A dual flow valve cartridge according to claim 1 wherein; the spindle and the movable valve are of unitary construction. 3 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; when the movable valve is in its closed position, the outer circumference of its lower surface forms a main sealing portion which makes a sealing contact with the main valve seal. 4 A dual flow valve cartridge according to claim 3 wherein; the Arαttl.na sim extends into the small inlet orifice when the movable valve is _ in s c ose posi ion. 5 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; as the spindle rotates and the movable valve starts to open and the seal between the main sealing portion and the main valve seal is broken, the throttling pin still extends into the small inlet orifice and this causes a sever restriction of the fluid flow at the end of the throttling pin. 6 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; as the movable piston opens further the throttling pin is drawn into the wider diameter of the variable throttling passageway and the fluid flow increases. 7 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; wherein the biasing means is a spring, one end of which attaches to the flow adjustment and the other end is formed into a spring tab which can have an interfering contact with the pin. 8 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; located at the top end of the body is a flow adjustment which is adjustable in a circular rotation around the axis of the body and this adjustment changes the degrees of rotation of the spindle before the pin engages with the spring tab. 9 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; the hands free adjustment of the biasing means can be achieved without disconnecting the tap from the main fluid supply. 10 A dual flow valve cartridge according to any of the previous claims wherein; the throttle orifice housing can be replaced with one which has a different profile to its variable throttling passageway so as to change the performance flow characteristics to suit individual situations. 11 A dual flow valve cartridge substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings 1 to 8.