WO2007108739A1

WO2007108739A1 - Fluid regulator

Info

Publication number: WO2007108739A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000247
Authority: WO
Inventors: Per Norlander
Original assignee: Ab Gustavsberg
Priority date: 2006-03-17
Filing date: 2007-03-15
Publication date: 2007-09-27
Also published as: AU2007227796A1; AU2007227796B2; EP1996844A1; SE529727C2; SE0600639L; EP1996844A4

Abstract

Flow regulator (10) for regulating a flow of a liquid, which comprises a controller (40), said liquid flow being controllable by an adjustable percentage opening of the controller (40), wherein an increased percentage opening implies an increased liquid flow, and an actuator (50) which in a given position is arranged to control only the flow of said liquid, in communication with said controller (40), said actuator (50) being arranged to adjust the percentage opening of said controller (40) within a first range (AB) of possible positions for the actuator (50), which is at one end delimited by a first stop position (B), wherein a first percentage opening is obtained at the first stop position (B), wherein the first percentage opening is the largest percentage opening within said first range (AB), wherein said actuator (50) is conductible past said first stop position (B), when an obstacle (90) of said flow regulator (10) has been forced by a user of said flow regulator (10), to a second range (BC), which is delimited by said first stop position (B) and a second stop position (C), wherein the percentage opening in said controller (40) is arranged to reach a second percentage opening at said second stop position (C), wherein said second percentage opening is greater than said first percentage opening.

Description

LIQUID REGULATOR

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a flow regulator for regulating a flow of a liquid, which comprises a controller, said liquid flow being controllable by an adjustable percentage opening of the controller, wherein an increased percentage opening implies an increased liquid flow, and an actuator which in a given position is arranged to control only the flow of said liquid, in communication with said controller, said actuator being arranged to adjust the percentage opening of said controller within a first range of possible positions for the actuator, which is at one end delimited by a first stop position, wherein a first percentage opening is obtained at the first stop position, wherein the first percentage opening is the largest percentage opening within said first range.

The present invention also relates to a method of regulating a flow of a flow regulator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A modern domestic establishment generally comprises a plurality of sanitary armatures. Examples of sanitary armatures comprise for instance one or more water taps of a sink, a mixing valve for showers or baths, or simply a cold water tap in a basement.

A thermostat mixer is a common type of sanitary armature for domestic use, for example a thermostat mixer is often used as a water mixer for showers. Using a thermostat mixer as a shower water tap instead of a water tap of another type, for example a two-grip water mixer with one regulator for hot water and one for cold water or a mixer of one-grip type, is preferable from many aspects, of which the most important may be that a desired temperature, adjusted on the thermostat valve, remains until the next shower occasion. In the case of another type of water mixer, the desired shower temperature has to be adjusted each and every time of showering, resulting in that both hot and cold water is wasted before the desired water temperature has been obtained.

Despite saving water at the adjustment of the temperature, it would be desirable to arrange the thermostat mixer such that the water consumption also decreases after the period of adjustment. Generally, users of shower mixers have a tendency to turn the flow to a maximum flow, be it needed or not, resulting in unnecessarily high water consumption. One way of reducing the water flow, which for instance is used in public baths etcetera, results in that a specific flow is obtained during a limited time when a user has pushed a button of a shower regulator. Such a procedure is however generally perceived as uncomfortable, particularly since the water flow ceases to exist on a regular basis. Also, a user is not given any possibility to adjust the flow of the shower himself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a device for flow regulation, which allows the water consumption to be reduced. Suitably, said device may be used for a thermostat valve.

This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1.

The present invention relates to a flow regulator for regulating a flow of a liquid, which regulator comprises a controller, said liquid flow being controllable by an adjustable percentage opening of the controller, wherein an increased percentage opening implies an increased liquid flow, and an actuator which in a given position is arranged to control only the flow of said liquid, in communication with said controller, said actuator being arranged to adjust the percentage opening of said controller, within a first range of possible positions for the actuator, which is at one end delimited by a first stop position, wherein a first percentage opening is obtained at the first stop position, wherein the first percentage opening is the largest percentage opening within said first range, said actuator being conductible past said first stop position, when an obstacle of said flow regulator has been forced by a user of said flow regulator, to a second range, which is delimited by said first stop position and a second stop position, wherein the percentage opening in said controller is arranged to reach a second percentage opening at said second stop position, wherein said second percentage opening is greater than said first percentage opening. Thus, a user, in normal use, adjust a water flow within a range of possible flows, corresponding to the first range of positions for the flow regulator, in a similar manner as of the prior art. In cases when a higher flow than what is considered normal is actually required, for instance if a showering area is to be swilled, the user may temporarily obtain a higher flow, by forcing the obstacle of the flow regulator. The actuator may then be conducted into a second range, corresponding to higher flows than what may be maximally obtained during normal use. In this way, the water consumption may be reduced. Further, the maximum flow at normal use may be chosen to be lower than of prior art solutions in order to further reduce the water consumption during use.

Said actuator may be rotatably controllable. Preferably the actuator is rotatably controllable about an axis being substantially parallel to an extension of the actuator, such as the longitudinal axis. More preferably, the actuator is rotatable about its own central axis. In the areas of application in which the flow regulator is suitable, for example shower water mixers, it is suitable that the space required for the flow regulator is minimized. In, for example, a shower cabin there is generally a lack of room and arranging the actuator as being rotatably controllable allows the dimension of the actuator to be minimized. Furthermore, a rotatable actuator does not require much surrounding space in order to be operated, which makes the flow regulator easy to place.

Said first stop position may be movable. As previously mentioned, the first stop position governs which percentage opening of the controller is considered to be the largest reasonable one at normal use of the flow regulator. This first percentage opening may have to be adjusted, depending on the liquid pressure entering the flow regulator. Depending on the geographical location of the flow regulator, with corresponding pressures in the pipes, the first percentage opening may be adjusted so that the maximum flow during normal use is neither too high nor too low.

Said obstacle may be adapted to develop a stop force when said actuator is at said first stop position, said stop force being characterized by being substantially in the opposite direction of a direction by which said actuator is conducted past said stop position, and that said stop force is significantly larger than a force, applied to the actuator, which is needed in order to conduct said actuator within said first range. By providing the obstacle in this manner, a user may increase the flow - above the normal - without having to alter the position of the hand or hands he uses for operating the flow regulator. Furthermore, since the stop force is significantly larger than the force needed for conduct the actuator within the first range, the risk is reduced for a user to unintentionally obtain a flow larger than the one desired. Said obstacle may comprise resilient means, which is arranged to develop said stop force when said actuator is at said first stop position. By utilizing resilient means, a robust and safe way of attaining the stop force is obtained.

The resilient means may be arranged to retract said actuator from the second range towards a position within the first range, given that the force applied onto the actuator is less than the force developed by the resilient means. Thus, the increased water flow will be achieved only during the period when a user is actively holding the actuator within the second range. In this way, the risk is eliminated that a user either by mistake keeps the actuator in a position within the second range or that the user, for some reason, deliberately for a long time uses a water flow above the normal.

The resilient means may comprise a torsion spring. By utilizing a torsion spring, a resilient means may be created with low space requirements. A torsion spring is furthermore a cost efficient type of resilient means.

The actuator may be adapted to remain in said second range for a predetermined time. By this arrangement, a user may obtain a flow higher than the normal without having to be at the actuator. This is preferred, for instance if a user, by utilizing a higher pressure than the normal, wants to sluice surfaces which are located at a distance from the flow regulator.

The flow regulator may comprise a torsion spring, adapted to retract said actuator from said second range to said first range during said predetermined time. As previously mentioned, the use of a torsion spring is preferable since is solves the technical function and at the same time takes up little space.

Preferably, a thermostat mixer comprises at least one flow regulator according to any one of the preceding embodiments. By utilizing a previously described flow regulator in a thermostat mixer, both the advantage that the temperature adjustment is maintained, with the benefits thereof previously described, as well as that the mixed water may keep a lower flow than prior art thermostat mixers, except on those occasions when a user actively chooses to obtain an increased water flow. A second objective of the invention is to provide a method of adjusting a water flow resulting in that the water consumption may be decreased. Suitably, the method may be used for adjusting the water flow of a thermostat mixer.

This object is achieved by a method according to claim 11.

The method comprises regulating a flow of a flow regulator, which comprises: operating an actuator within a first range of possible positions, which range at one end is delimited by a first stop position, wherein the highest flow obtainable within said first range is achieved at the first stop position, and operating said actuator past said first stop position to a second range, which is delimited by said first stop position and a second stop position, by forcing an obstacle arranged at the actuator, said second stop position corresponding to a higher flow than said first stop position. By utilizing this method a user is still given the possibility to adjust the water flow of the flow regulator himself according to the prior art, even if the maximum flow obtainable at normal use may be limited in order to reduce the water consumption. Should the user for some reason need a higher water flow, this may be obtained by forcing the obstacle resulting in that an increased flow is obtained.

Preferably, the above method is implemented such that said obstacle is forced by applying a force on said actuator in substantially the same direction as the actuator is conducted past said stop position, wherein the magnitude of said force is substantially larger than the force required in order to conduct said actuator within said first range. As previously mentioned, this is preferred since a user, when using this method, do not have to alter the position of the hand or hands with which he is operating the actuator. This is particularly preferred if the method for example is to be used by persons having functional disorders or reduced ability to move their hands.

The method may comprise regulating a flow in a flow regulator, wherein said actuator is released as said actuator is located in said second range, wherein said actuator is automatically retracted to a position within said first range. This is preferred since it eliminates the risk that a user leaves the actuator in a position with an increased water flow, resulting in a corresponding waste of water, i.e. a decrease of the water consumption is guaranteed. Should the actuator not be retracted, there is also an impending risk that users, in a routine fashion, would force the obstacle and let the actuator remain in a position resulting in a flow higher than the one needed for normal use, which would result in an unnecessarily high water consumption.

The method may comprise regulating a flow in a flow regulator wherein said actuator is operated by rotation. As previously mentioned, this is an advantage as the method of operating the actuator by rotating the same is an operation not requiring a particularly large space around the actuator, which means that said operation may be performed in cramped spaces, for instance in a shower cabin in which there may also be baskets for cleaning products etcetera in the vicinity of the flow regulator.

Preferably the method of regulating a flow in a flow regulator comprises that said actuator is released as said actuator is located in said second range, wherein the actuator remains in said second range for a predetermined time before the actuator is automatically retracted to the first range. In many situations this results in a plurality of advantages, for example a single user, utilizing a high pressure, may sluice surfaces located further away than at arm's length from the flow regulator. It is also possible that a user may want to fill a vessel, for instance a scouring pail or the like, with water. Since the vessel is to be filled, the water consumption is in this case independent of the water flow, thus a saving of time may be obtained by permitting a higher flow during a predetermined time, without a user having to actively operate the actuator during the filling procedure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates a front side view of a flow regulator according to the invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates an actuator of the flow regulator of Fig. 1. Furthermore, the first and second ranges of possible positions of the actuator are indicated.

Fig. 3 illustrates a first embodiment of the flow regulator according to the invention, which comprises resilient means.

Fig. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the flow regulator according to the invention, which comprises a torsion spring.

Fig. 5 illustrates a friction area, to be used with a third embodiment of the invention. Fig. 6 illustrates a thermostat mixer, which comprises a flow regulator according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be described by examples of embodiments. However, it should be realized that the only purpose of these embodiments is to elucidate the present invention, whose scope of protection is defined by the appended claims.

Fig. 1 illustrates a flow regulator 10 for regulating a flow of a liquid. Suitably, the flow regulator 10 may be used for a thermostat mixer. A thermostat mixer usually comprises an inlet for hot water and an inlet for cold water, which are mixed in temperature regulator. The mixed water is conducted to a flow regulator, at which the outgoing flow from the thermostat mixer is regulated. Thermostat mixers are often adapted to be located in bathroom environments, for example on a bathroom wall or on a wall of a shower cabin. The flow regulator comprises a controller 40, for example a throttle valve, even if other types of valves may be suitable. Said liquid flow is controllable by an adjustable percentage opening of the controller 40, wherein an increased percentage opening implies an increased liquid flow. An actuator 50 which in a given position is arranged to control only the flow of said liquid, is in communication with said controller 40. In Fig. 1 an example is illustrated in which the actuator 50 is adapted to take said position only, i.e. the actuator 50 in Fig. 1 has only one regulating condition, in which the flow may be regulated.

The actuator 50 may be constituted by a hand wheel, as illustrated in Fig. 1 , even though other types of actuators may be suitable, such as a lever or a knob. The actuator 50 may be connected to the controller 40 by at least a shaft 100 or similar connection means, even though the actuator 50 of course may be attached directly to the controller 40. Said actuator 50 is arranged, either by connecting means such as the shaft 100 or at the controller 40, to adjust the percentage opening of said controller 40 within a first range AB of possible positions for the actuator 50. This first range is illustrated in Fig. 2. The first range AB is at one end delimited by a first stop or a stop position B, wherein a first percentage opening is obtained at the first stop position B, wherein the first percentage opening is the largest percentage opening within said first range AB. This means, that when a water supply is connected to the flow regulator 10, the largest flow possible by the flow regulator 10 within the first range AB will be obtained when the actuator 50 is located at the first stop position B. If the actuator 50 is located at the initial position A, this usually implies that no flow is obtained, even if a water supply is connected to the flow regulator 10. This corresponds to that the controller 40 is completely closed when the actuator 50 is at the initial position A. However, there may be applications when the initial position A corresponds to that the controller has a percentage opening that is not zero. The percentage opening may vary continuously between the initial position A and the first stop position B₁ however it is also possible that the percentage opening assumes any one of a set of discrete percentage openings, depending on where the actuator 50 is located. The first range AB may of course be of different sizes, depending on the application, wherein a larger first range AB results in that the flow of the water regulator may be more accurately adjusted. Said actuator 50 is conductible past said first stop position B, when an obstacle 90 of said flow regulator 10 has been forced by a user of said flow regulator 10, to a second range BC, which second range is illustrated in Fig. 2. Forcing the obstacle 90 may for example mean that a button (not shown), arranged on the actuator 50 is pushed, or that the actuator 50 is pulled, or pushed, in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 100. The obstacle may also be constituted by a physical obstacle, which is arranged at the flow regulator. However, it should be realized, that the obstacle may also be designed in a plurality of alternative ways, for instance the obstacle may be constituted by a force developed at the stop position B, which force a user has to overcome in order to conduct the actuator to the second range BC. From Fig. 2 it is also realized that the second range BC is delimited by said first stop position B and a second stop or stop position C. The percentage opening in said controller 40 is arranged to reach a second percentage opening at said second stop position C, wherein said second percentage opening is greater than said first percentage opening. In other words, when a water supply is connected to the flow regulator 10, the largest flow will be obtained at the second stop position C. As for the first range AB, it is possible that the percentage opening of the controller varies, either continuously or discretely, between the first stop position B and the second stop position C. In the same manner as for the first range, the second range can be made in different sizes, depending on how accurately the flow in the second range is required to be adjusted, assuming that the percentage opening varies continuously, or discretely with a plurality of discrete points, between the first stop position B and the second stop position C. Another option is that only two percentage openings can be achieved when the actuator is within the second range BC, namely the percentage opening corresponding to the first stop position B and the percentage opening corresponding to the second stop position C.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the actuator 50 may be rotatably controllable, for example about a geometric axis of rotation 52. Preferably, the actuator 50 is rotatably controllable about an axis of rotation 52 which is substantially parallel to an extension of the actuator 50, such as the longitudinal axis. In Fig. 1 , the actuator 50 is rotatably controllable about its central axis 52.

In Fig. 2 it is illustrated that the first stop position B may be movably arranged. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the obstacle 90 may be moved, either towards the initial position A, such that the first stop position is located at a position B", or away from the initial position A, such that the first stop position is located at a position B'. This of course means that the boundaries of the first range AB and the second range BC are correspondingly moved. If the first stop position is moved to position B", the largest percentage opening attainable within the first range AB will be decreased. If the first stop position on the other hand is moved to position B¹, the largest percentage opening within the first range AB will be increased.

In an embodiment of the flow regulator 10 according to the invention, said obstacle 90 is adapted to develop a stop force K when said actuator 50 is at said first stop position B, said stop force K being characterized by being in substantially the opposite direction of a direction in which said actuator 50 is conducted past said stop position B, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Said stop force K is significantly larger than a force F, applied to the actuator 50, which is needed in order to conduct said actuator 50 within said first range AB. Thus, if the actuator 50 of the flow regulator according to this embodiment would be conducted past the first stop position B by a force being lower than the stop force K, the actuator 50 would stop at the first stop position B.

Said obstacle 90 may preferably comprise resilient means 60, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which is arranged to develop said stop force K when said actuator 50 is at said first stop position B. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the resilient means 60 may be arranged between a first support 110, which may be associated with the shaft 100, for instance the first support may be attached directly to the shaft 100 or to an intermediate auxiliary member (not shown) which in turn is attached to the shaft, either directly or by additional intermediate auxiliary member (not shown), and a second support 120, which is associated with a part of the flow regulator not rigidly connected to the actuator 50, for example an attachment means 130 for the flow regulator, wherein the supports 110, 120 are arranged such that the spring develops a force as the actuator 50 is located at the first stop position B, and that the resilient means 60, in combination with the distance between the two supports 110, 120 is fitted to develop the stop force K at the first stop position B. The supports 110, 120 may each be designed in a plurality of ways, for example they may comprise support surfaces or structures against which at least a portion of the resilient means 60 rests, at least at those instances when the actuator 50 is located at the first stop position B and in a preferred embodiment of the invention even when it is located within the second range BC. The first support 110 may also be associated with the actuator 50, for instance the actuator 50 may comprise the support 110 in the form of a support surface or structure against which the resilient means 60 may rest, or an opening or slit in which a portion of the resilient means 60 may be attached. In a similar manner, the controller 40 may comprise the second support 120, such that the resilient means 60 may rest against either a support surface or structure, or be attached in an opening, slit or the like in the controller 40. Preferably, at least one of the supports 110, 120 is arranged so that it may easily be moved by a user. For example, the first support 110 may be arranged to be moved on the actuator 50, or to be movable on an auxiliary member which is rigidly connected to the actuator 50. One way of enabling such a movement is that the support 110 is arranged on an auxiliary member (not shown) which is rotatable about the axis of rotation of the actuator 50, assuming that a user first releases the rigid connection between the actuator 50 and the auxiliary member, for example by releasing the connection by which the actuator 50 and the auxiliary member is connected. After releasing the connection, a user rotates the auxiliary member about the axis of rotation of the actuator 50, either in a direction towards or from the second support 120, resulting in that the spring will be tensioned at a more distant or close position, compared to the previous setting. The user may then again rigidly attach the actuator 50 and the auxiliary means. In a similar manner, the flow regulator 10 may be arranged such that the position of the second support 120 is moved instead. Further, the flow regulator 10 may be arranged such that both supports 110, 120 are movable.

If any of the supports comprises an opening or slit, another option to enable a movement of any or both of the supports 110, 120 may comprise that a plurality of holes or openings are created along a radius of a member, such that a user can select which of these openings he or she wants to use as supports and thus determine the distance between the first and second support 110, 120.

Preferably, the resilient means 60 is arranged to retract said actuator 50 from the second range BC towards a position within said first range AB, given that the force F applied onto the actuator 50 is less than the force developed by said resilient means 60. This may be achieved by allowing the resilient means 60 to extend between said supports 110, 120 as the actuator 50 is located within the second range BC, resulting in a spring force acting to retract the actuator 50 to the first range AB. The supports 110, 120 may of course be arranged such that the resilient means is compressed between said end positions 110, 120 as the actuator 50 is located within the second range BC.

As the resilient means 60, a torsion spring 80 may preferably be used. An example of a flow regulator comprising a torsion spring is illustrated in Fig. 4. The torsion spring may be arranged to at one end be supported by a first support 140 which either is associated with the controller 40 or a member of the flow regulator, not rigidly connected to the actuator 50. An example of such a member is the attachment member 150. The support 140 may consist of a support surface or structure on which at least a portion of the torsion spring may rest, or an opening or slit, into which a portion of the torsion spring may be introduced, such that a support force is developed between the edge of the opening or slit and a portion of said torsion spring 80. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, the support is arranged to be an opening, into which one end of the torsion spring may be inserted. In the other end, the torsion spring 80 may be arranged to be supported by a second support 160 which may be associated with a member of the flow regulator which is rigidly attached to the actuator 50. For example, the second support 160 may be attached directly to the actuator, on a shaft 100 connecting the actuator 50 with the controller 40, or, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to an auxiliary member 170 rigidly connected to the shaft 100 which in turn is rigidly attached to the actuator 50. As for the support 140, the support 160 may be constituted by a support surface or structure onto which at least a portion of the torsion spring may rest, or an opening or slit, into which a portion of the torsion spring may be introduced, such that a support force is developed between the edge of the opening or slit and the torsion spring. In Fig. 4, the support 160 is illustrated as a support structure having a substantially cylindrical shape, which support 160 is attached in a hole in the auxiliary member 170, either the support 160 is screwed into the auxiliary member 170 or the support is attached to the auxiliary member 170 by any other conventional attachment technique, for example welding, gluing or the like. An advantage of attaching the support 160 to the auxiliary member 170 by means of screwing is however that it through the screwing is also possible to fixate the auxiliary member 170 to the shaft 100 by screwing in the support 160 such that a contact pressure is generated between the support 160 and the shaft 100. The auxiliary member 170 and the shaft will thus be fixed to one another by a friction force between the support 160 and the shaft 100 and a contact force between the support 160 and the auxiliary member 170. Should a user want to alter the position of the support 160 relative to the first support 140, to thereby either decrease or increase the percentage opening obtained at the first stop position B as previously discussed, the user may simply release the support 160 by unscrewing it a small amount and rotate the auxiliary member 170, in a direction either towards or from the first support 140. When a new position has been set, the user re-connects the shaft 100 and the auxiliary member 170 by screwing the support 160 towards the shaft 100. By this arrangement, a simple manner of adjusting the percentage opening at the stop position B has been obtained.

As previously mentioned, the first support 140 could also be selected from a plurality of openings or slits, which are arranged along a radius of the attachment member 150. In this way, a user could select the distance between the supports 140, 160 and thus the percentage opening at the first stop position B, by selecting a suitable opening or slit as the first support 140.

In an embodiment of the flow regulator according to the invention, said actuator 50 is adapted to remain in said second range BC for a predetermined time T. This may be achieved, for instance, by arranging the obstacle 90 of the flow regulator 10 to comprise a button, which has a function corresponding to the one previously used for, for example public premises as previously discussed, i.e. when the button is pushed, a stepless controller is opened with a predetermined percentage opening. The percentage opening of the stepless controller is maintained for a predetermined time and is closed by a resilient means and/or a liquid pressure in the flow regulator 10.

Preferably, such a stepless controller (not shown) may be arranged parallel to a continuously, or stepwisely, adjustable controller, which means that a user may adjust the flow (steplessly or discretely) through the flow regulator 10 by varying the percentage opening of the continuously adjustable controller by the actuator 50 and, when required, obtain an increased (additional) flow by pushing the button wherein the stepless controller is opened for a predetermined period of time, wherein the total flow is the sum of the flows through the two controllers. When the stepless controller is closed automatically, a flow is obtained corresponding to the percentage opening of the continuous controller. In other words, the controller 40 in this embodiment may be regarded as comprising two controllers connected in parallel, one steplessly and one continuously or possibly discretely, adjustable.

A variant of the embodiment mentioned above could comprise a torsion spring 80, which is adapted to retract said actuator 50 from said second range BC to said first range AB during said predetermined time T. As the actuator 50 has been introduced into the second range BC, the torsion spring 80 is tensioned. The torsion spring 80 is adjusted such that it retracts the actuator 50 to the first range AB, however, the strength of the torsion spring 80 is adjusted to be so low that the retraction does not occur instantly. Instead, the strength of the torsion spring is adjusted such that it will take a predetermined time for the torsion spring to retract the actuator 50. In order to further delay the aforesaid retraction, one possibility could be to introduce a friction area between the actuator 50, or a part rigidly connected to the actuator, and for example an attachment means 150 or any other part of the flow regulator which is not rigidly connected to the actuator 50. This friction area enables the torsion spring to take a longer time to retract the actuator to the first range AB. Preferably, said friction area may comprise asymmetrically inclined saw-tooth shaped surfaces, as illustrated in Fig. 5, which present the advantage of resulting in a lower friction resistance as the actuator is introduced in the second range BC than when it is retracted to the first range AB. By this device, a user does not have to apply an unnecessarily high force in order to introduce the actuator into the second range BC.

A thermostat mixer 70 comprising a flow regulator 10 as previously described is illustrated in Fig. 6.

The invention also relates to a method of regulating a flow of a flow regulator 10, which method comprises the steps of: operating an actuator 50 within a first range AB of possible positions, which at one end is delimited by a first stop position B, wherein the highest flow obtainable within said first range is achieved at the first stop position B, wherein said actuator 50 is conductible past said first stop position B to a second range BC, which is delimited by the first stop position B and a second stop position C, by forcing the an obstacle 90 arranged at the actuator 50, wherein said second stop position C corresponds to a higher flow than at the first stop position B.

The flow regulator 10 used for the method described above is preferably any one of the embodiments described above of a flow regulator 10 according to the present invention.

It is realized that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described hereinabove and illustrated in the attached drawings. Rather, a person skilled in the art will realize that many changes and alterations are feasible within the scope of the attached claims. For example, it would be possible that the actuator 50 is arranged to be retracted in the same direction as the longitudinal extension of the shaft 100 in order to adjust the percentage opening of the controller 40.

Despite the fact that the embodiments of the present invention generally have been described in connection to a thermostat mixer, a person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention is applicable also in other contexts. For example, a flow regulator according to the present invention may be used for a sanitary armature which does not comprise a water mixer, such as a cold water control.

Claims

1. Flow regulator (10) for regulating a flow of a liquid, which comprises a controller (40), said liquid flow being controllable by an adjustable percentage opening of the controller (40), wherein an increased percentage opening implies an increased liquid flow, and an actuator (50) which in a given position is arranged to control only the flow of said liquid, in communication with said controller (40), said actuator (50) being arranged to adjust the percentage opening of said controller (40) within a first range (AB) of possible positions for the actuator (50), which is at one end delimited by a first stop position (B), wherein a first percentage opening is obtained at the first stop position (B), wherein the first percentage opening is the largest percentage opening within said first range (AB), c h a ra cte ri ze d b y said actuator (50) being conductible past said first stop position (B), when an obstacle (90) of said flow regulator (10) has been forced by a user of said flow regulator (10), to a second range (BC), which is delimited by said first stop position

(B) and a second stop position (C), wherein the percentage opening in said controller (40) is arranged to reach a second percentage opening at said second stop position (C), wherein said second percentage opening is greater than said first percentage opening.

2. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 1 , wherein said actuator (50) is rotatably controllable.

3. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first stop position (B) is movable.

4. Flow regulator (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said obstacle (90) is adapted to develop a stop force (K) when said actuator (50) is at said first stop position (B), said stop force (K) being characterized by being located in substantially the opposite direction of a direction by which said actuator (50) is conducted past said first stop position (B), and that said stop force (K) is significantly larger than a force (F), applied to the actuator (50), which is needed in order to conduct said actuator (50) within said first range (AB).

5. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 4, wherein said obstacle (90) comprises resilient means (60), which is arranged to develop said stop force (K) when said actuator (50) is at said first stop position (B).

6. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 5, wherein said resilient means (60) is arranged to retract said actuator (50) from the second range (BC) towards a position within said first range (AB), given that the force (F) applied onto the actuator (50) is less than the force developed by said resilient means (60).

7. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 6, wherein said resilient means (60) comprises a torsion spring (80).

8. Flow regulator (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said actuator (50) is adapted to remain in said second range (BC) for a predetermined time (T).

9. Flow regulator (10) according to claim 8, wherein said flow regulator comprises a torsion spring (80), which is adapted to retract said actuator (50) from said second range (BC) to said first range (AB) during said predetermined time (T).

10. A thermostat mixer (70) comprising at least one flow regulator (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. A method of regulating a flow of a flow regulator (10), which method comprises the steps of: operating an actuator (50) by which only said flow is regulated within a first range (AB) of possible positions, which at one end is delimited by a first stop position (B), wherein the highest flow obtainable within said first range is achieved at the first stop position (B) c h a ra cte ri ze d b y, operating said actuator (50) past said first stop position (B) to a second range (BC), which is delimited by said first stop position (B) and a second stop position (C)₁ by forcing an obstacle (90) arranged at the actuator (50), said second stop position (C) corresponding to a higher flow than said first stop position (B).

12. A method of regulating a flow in a flow regulator (10) according to claim 11 , wherein said obstacle (90) is forced by applying a force (F) to said actuator (50) in substantially the same direction as the actuator (50) is conducted past said first stop position (B), wherein the magnitude of said force (F) is substantially larger than the force required in order to conduct said actuator (50) within said first range

(AB).

13. A method of regulating a flow in a flow regulator (10) according to claim 12, wherein said actuator (50) is released as said actuator (50) is located in said second range (BC), whereupon said actuator (50) is automatically retracted to a position within said first range (AB).

14. A method of regulating a flow in a flow regulator (10) according to claim 13, wherein said actuator (50) is operated by rotation.

15. A method of regulating a flow in a flow regulator (10) according to claim 11 , wherein said actuator (50) is released as said actuator (50) is located in said second range (BC), whereupon the actuator (50) remains in said second range (BC) for a predetermined time (T) before the actuator (50) is automatically conducted back to the first range (AB).