WO2014107783A1

WO2014107783A1 - Control valve for plumbing fixtures

Info

Publication number: WO2014107783A1
Application number: PCT/BR2014/000004
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlos Augusto RAMOS DE BARROS
Original assignee: Fabrimar S/A Indústria E Comércio
Priority date: 2013-01-10
Filing date: 2014-01-10
Publication date: 2014-07-17
Also published as: BR102013000711A2

Abstract

The control valve comprises: a tubular body (10) having an auxiliary opening (13) in which is rotatively mounted a tubular sleeve (40), which has an inner end (42a), open to an inlet nozzle (11) of the body (10), and at least one lateral window (42b) open to an outlet nozzle (12) of the body (10); a rod (50) medianly mounted in the interior of the sleeve (40) and projecting to the outside of the body (10); a fixed disc (60) seated against an inner annular stop (20) of the body (10) and which is rotatively locked in the interior of the sleeve (40) and has a through hole (61); a movable disc (70) seated against the fixed disc (60) and coupled to the rod (50), in order to be radially displaced between closed and open positions, in which it blocks and unblocks the through hole (61) of the fixed disc (60), when the rod (50) is angularly displaced, from a closed control valve position to an open control valve position.

Description

"CONTROL VALVE FOR PLUMBING FIXTURES"

Field of the Invention

The present invention refers to a control valve for providing, by the angular displacement of a handle, the manual control for opening and closing the supply of pressurized water to several plumbing fixtures, such as spouts and faucets.

Background of the Invention

As known from the state of the art, the control valves designed to control the supply of water to different plumbing fixtures, such as spouts, faucets and the like, usually present a tubular body provided with the conventional liquid inlet and outlet openings, with an auxiliary opening, and also with an inner sealing seat, operatively associated with a sealing element to be displaced, by an actuating mechanism, between closing and opening positions of the control valve.

Actuating mechanisms are known, which comprise an actuating rod carrying a handle and being operatively associated with a sealing element, generally in elastomer, in order to axially displace the latter, to closing and opening positions of the control valve seat, upon rotation of the handle-rod assembly.

This type of construction is complex, costly and requires the user to use one of his hands to provide rotation of the handle, making difficult and even impeding the use of other parts of the user's body, as for example, the elbows, for promoting operation of the control valve. Such operational characteristic hampers the asepsis of the user's hands, particularly in certain applications of non-restricted use, and in environments with greater risk of contamination, such as hospitals, clinics, and medical offices .

Besides the drawbacks mentioned above, said known control valves, having an actuating mechanism of the type which comprises rotative actuating rod and handle, requires the ' user to continuously move the handle-rod assembly, in order to complete the relatively long rotative courses of said assembly, for obtaining the opening and closing positions of the control valve.

The successive operations of opening and closing these known rotative actuating mechanisms tend to provoke an intense wear between the threaded portions of both the actuating rod and the castle nut, impairing the operation of the pumbling control valve.

It is also known a control valve having an actuating mechanism which comprises a first ceramic disc, retained in the interior of the pumbling control valve, for defining the sealing seat of the latter, said first disc being provided with at least one through hole, usually eccentric. A second ceramic disc is seated on the first ceramic disc and provided with at least one through hole, being coupled to the inner end of the actuating rod, in order to be rotated between opening and closing positions of the control valve, in which the through holes of the two discs are, respectively, aligned to and offset from each other.

Although using wear-resistant ceramic sealing elements, the known solution described above still presents a relatively costly construction, further requiring that the opening and closing operations are carried out by rotating the handle-actuating rod assembly, even though by a reduced angle of rotation in determined applications in which it is not required the progressive control of the liquid flowrate between the complete opening and closing positions of the control valve.

There are also known constructions in which it is provided a seat, in the form of a ceramic disc with at least one through hole, and a sealing element of the same material, which is seated against the perforated seat and may be radially displaced on the latter, between a closed position and open positions, by the angular displacement of an actuating rod, in the form of a lever, according to a plane which is predetermined by project. While having a relatively simple and strong construction, without the drawbacks caused by the premature wear of the actuating mechanism, the above solution, in which the actuating rod is in the form of a lever and subject to an angular displacement in a fixed plane predetermined in the project, leads to an undesirable immutability in the relation between the plane of angular displacement of the actuating rod and the particular characteristics of each mounting position of the mixer faucet or spout. The user is not allowed to change, neither the radial positioning of the plane of displacement of the actuating rod, nor the positioning of the opening and closing positions of the actuating rod.

Thus, said control valves, which comprise the sealing element made of a ceramic disc radially displaced on the seat, also in ceramic disc, present the limitations of not allowing the user to change the radial direction and the sense of the angular displacement of the actuating rod between closed control valve and open control valve positions.

As a function of the limitations commented above, it was proposed and has been widely used a constructive solution, according to which an actuating rod has a spherical portion which is mounted in the body of the control valve and in which is articulated one end of a plunger, to whose opposite end is mounted a sealing element in elastomer. Such construction allows the rod to be mounted so as to be angularly displaced, in different radial planes in relation to the axis of the plunger, and in different senses, in order to axially move the plunger and the sealing element between the closing and opening conditions of the seat.

Nevertheless, in the construction proposed above, the sealing element, made of elastomer material and to be compressed against the seat, in the closed control valve position, undergoes inevitable permanent deformations along its useful life, requiring periodic adjustments. Due to the limitations and drawbacks of the known solutions, it is desirable to provide a control valve for hydraulic fixtures, which presents the advantage of being operated by a rod which can be angularly displaced in different radial planes, to be selected by the user, without the inconveniences of a complex construction which requires periodic adjustments to maintain the necessary tightness of the control valve in the closed position.

Summary of the Invention

As a function of the characteristics of the known solutions cited above, the present invention has the generic object to provide a control valve for hydraulic fixtures, provided with an actuating mechanism having a simple and robust construction, which is easy to manufacture and presents a long service life, without requiring periodic adjustments, presenting a reduced number of components and which is operated by the manual angular displacement of an actuating rod, in different radial directions determined by the user, between a closing position and progressive opening positions of the control valve.

The control valve for hydraulic fixtures of the invention is of the type which presents a tubular body provided with an inlet nozzle, an outlet nozzle, an auxiliary opening, and an inner annular stop.

According to the invention, the control valve comprises: a tubular sleeve, rotatively mounted and axially retained in the interior of the auxiliary opening of the body and defining, transversally and internally, a spherical bearing, said sleeve having an outer end, open to the outside of the body, an inner end open to the inlet nozzle, and at least one lateral window open to the outlet nozzle; a rod having a median spherical portion, seated in the interior of the spherical bearing and incorporating a grip portion projecting outwardly from the opening; a fixed disc housed, in a tight and rotatively locked manner, in the interior of the sleeve, and which is seated, in a tight and rotatively free manner, against the annular stop, and has a through hole open to the inlet nozzle; and a movable disc tightly seated against the fixed disc and coupled to the rod, in order to be displaced between positions in which it blocks and unblocks, respectively, the through hole of the fixed disc, when the rod is angularly displaced around the axis of its median spherical portion, from a closed control valve position to an open control valve position.

With the construction mentioned above, the present control valve allows the assembly defined by the rod, by the tubular sleeve and by the movable and fixed ceramic discs to be rotated by the user and at any time, around the axis of the tubular body of the control valve, allowing that the angular displacement of the rod, in the closing and opening operations of the control valve, is carried out in any plane containing said axis of the tubular body.

Thus, the angular displacement of the actuating rod may be carried out in different radial directions, each displacement radial direction being determined by the rotation of the tubular sleeve, and of the two discs, in the interior of the tubular body, to the position desired by the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described below, by references being made to the appended drawings, given by way of example of a possible way of carrying out the invention and in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a pumbling fixture formed by a mixer spout and by a pair of plumbing control valves constructed according to the present invention, one of said control valves being illustrated in an exploded view;

Figure 2 represents a partially cut longitudinal sectional view of the present control valve, with the rod in the closed control valve position;

Figure 3 represents a view similar to that of figure 2, but illustrating the rod in the open control valve position; and

Figure 4 represents an enlarged detail of the control valve illustrated in figure 3, with the rod in the open control valve position.

Description of the Invention

As illustrated in the appended drawings, the present control valve R is defined by a body 10, which is tubular and usually cast in any metallic alloy adequate to this type of device, and which is internally perforated and provided with an inlet nozzle 11, usually associated with a finishing escutcheon C and to be connected to a hydraulic system (not illustrated) provided on a bench or wall of a building, and with an outlet nozzle 12 associated with a pumbling fixture AH which, in figure 1, takes the form of a mixer spout, but which may be constructed in different ways well known in the state of the art.

The body 10 is further provided with an auxiliary opening 13, internally threaded, which is usually aligned with the inlet nozzle 11, and with an annular stop 20, disposed internally and medianly in the body 10, upstream the inlet nozzle 11 and downstream the outlet nozzle 12 which, in the illustrated example, is located orthogonally to the inlet nozzle 11 and maintained in selective fluid communication with the latter through the annular stop 20.

According to a way of carrying out the invention, the control valve R comprises a tubular plug 30, generally made of a metallic alloy and which is threaded in the internally threaded auxiliary opening 13. In the illustrated construction, the tubular plug 30 is provided with a cylindrical axial hole 31 and with a semi- spherical head 32, external to the body 10 and in whose central region opens one of the ends of the cylindrical axial hole 31. The semi-spherical head 32 presents a peripheral flange 33 which is seated against a peripheral edge of the opening 13 of the body 10. The tubular plug 30 further presents an annular inner end edge 34, which defines a stop, whose function will be defined later. However, it should be understood that the tubular plug 30 may take other constructive forms, or be eliminated or replaced by other elements which can operate as a type of castle nut.

The control valve R is further provided with a tubular sleeve 40, usually in metallic alloy, which is rotatively mounted and axially retained in the interior of the auxiliary opening 13 of the body 10. The sleeve 40 defines, transversally and internally, a spherical bearing 41b and presents an outer end 41a, open to the outside of the body 10, an inner end 42a, open to the inlet nozzle 11, and at least one lateral window 42b, open to the outlet nozzle 12 of the body 10.

In the illustrated construction, the sleeve 40 comprises a mounting portion 41, externally cylindrical, ending in the outer end 41a and which is lodged so that it may be rotated, in a tight manner, in the interior of the cylindrical axial hole 32 of the tubular plug 30. The spherical bearing 41b, internal to the mounting portion 41 of the sleeve 40, has its axis transversal to the axis of the tubular sleeve 40. The sleeve 40 further presents, preferably forming a single piece with the mounting portion 41, a control portion 42 defining the inner end 42a of the sleeve 40.

In the illustrated construction, the control portion 42 of the sleeve 40 presents a contour, of transversal cross section, larger than that of the mounting portion 41, in order to define, with the latter, a peripheral step 43 against which is seated an end face of a thrust ring 35, in plastic material and having an opposite end face seated against the inner end edge 34 of the tubular plug 30, axially locking the sleeve 40 in the interior of the body 10, but allowing said sleeve 40 to rotate around its axis .

A sealing ring 48, in elastomer, is housed in the cylindrical axial hole 32 of the tubular plug 30, between the latter and the externally cylindrical mounting portion 41 of the sleeve 40.

For the manual actuation of the control valve R it is provided a rod 50, generally in metallic alloy and having a median spherical portion 51, seated in the interior of the spherical bearing 41b internal to the sleeve 40 and incorporating a grip portion 52 projecting outside from the opening 13 of the body 10.

A fixed disc 60, is ceramic material, is housed, in a tight and rotatively locked way, in the interior of the sleeve 40, more precisely in the interior of the inner end 42b of the sleeve 40, the fixed disc 60 being seated, in a tight and rotatively way, against the annular stop 20 of the body 10 and having a through hole 61 open to the inlet nozzle 11.

A movable disc 70 is tightly seated against the fixed disc 60 and coupled to the rod 50, in order to be radially displaced between positions in which it blocks and unblocks, respectively, the through hole 61 of the fixed disc 60, when the rod 50 is angularly displaced, around the axis of its median spherical portion 51, from a closed control valve position to an open control valve position .

In the exemplary construction illustrated in the drawings, the mounting portion 41 of the sleeve 40 presents an inner hole 44, of inverted trapezoidal cross section, having the small rectangular base open to the spherical bearing 41b and with the large rectangular base open to the outside of the body 10, in the outer end 41a of the sleeve 40, the inclined lateral walls 44a of said inner hole 44 defining course end stops for the angular displacement of the rod 50 between the closed and open control valve positions, as shown in figures 2 and 3.

In one of the possible internal mounting arrangements of the present control valve, the sleeve 40 carries, internally, between the spherical bearing 41b and the lateral window 42b, an annular bushing 45, usually in metallic material and which is axially compressed between the median spherical portion 51 of the rod 50 and the movable disc 60, it being further provided two sealing rings 46,47, in elastomer and located in the interior of the spherical bearing 41b, in opposite ends of the latter and between the sleeve 40 and the median spherical portion 51 of the rod 50, guaranteeing the tightness upon movement of said spherical portion 51 in the interior of the spherical bearing 41b.

As illustrated, the fixed disc 60 is preferably constructed so as to present a seat face 62 and a mounting face 63 which is seated, in a tight and rotatively free manner, against the annular stop 20. Similarly, the movable disc 70 may present a sealing face 72, which is tightly seated against the seat face 62 of the fixed disc 60, and an engaging face 73 which is coupled to the rod 50, in order to be radially displaced between the closed control valve and open control valve positions, upon the angular displacement of the rod 50. The engaging face 73 of the movable disc 70 may be provided with a median recess 75, in which is fitted an engaging portion 53 incorporated to the median spherical portion 51 of the rod 50 and which projects to the outside of the spherical bearing 41b.

In order to allow that the assembly, formed by the sleeve 40, rod 50, and fixed and movable discs 60, 70, is rotated in the interior of the body 10, and for maintaining the tightness of the relatively movable interfaces, the fixed disc 60 is axially seated on a sealing ring 76, in polymeric material, which is axially compressed directly against the annular stop 20, or axially seated on an end edge 81 of an annular spacer 80, generally in polymeric material and which has an opposite end edge 82 seated against another sealing ring 77 which, on its turn, is compressed against the annular stop 20. The control valve may further comprise an annular bushing 15, usually in metallic material, incorporating a peripheral flange 15a and being threaded in the interior of the annular stop 20 of the body 10, the other sealing ring 77 being axially seated against said peripheral flange 15a. Such construction improves the tightness upon mounting the fixed disc 60 on the annular stop 20 of the body 10, without impairing the possibility of the fixed disc 60 rotating jointly with the sleeve 40, when the user wishes to change the radial positioning of the plane of angular displacement of the grip portion 52 of the rod 50, in which is mounted a handle 90 having a base end 91 in the form of a concave cylindrical surface positioned adjacent to the semi-spherical head 31 and following the radius of curvature of the latter.

While only one embodiment of the present control valve has been illustrated herein, it should be understood that several changes as to the form and arrangement of the different component parts can be made, without departing from the inventive concept defined in the claim set which accompanies the present disclosure.

Claims

1. Control valve for plumbing fixtures, having a tubular body (10) provided with: an inlet nozzle (11) and an outlet nozzle (12); a threaded opening (13); an inner annular stop (20), characterized in that it comprises: a tubular sleeve (40), rotatively mounted and axially retained in the interior of the opening (13) and defining, transversally and internally, a spherical bearing (41b), said sleeve (40) having an outer end (41a), open to the outside of the body (10), an inner end (42a) open to the inlet nozzle (11), and at least one lateral window (42b) open to the outlet nozzle (12); a rod (50) having a median spherical portion (51), seated in the interior of the spherical bearing (41b) and incorporating a grip portion (52) projecting to the outside of the opening (13); a fixed disc (60) housed, in a tight and rotatively locked manner, in the interior of the sleeve (40), which fixed disk (60) is seated, in a tight and rotatively free manner, against the annular stop (20), and which has a through hole (61) open to the inlet nozzle (11); and a movable disc (70) tightly seated against the fixed disc (60) and coupled to the rod (50), in order to be radially displaced between positions in which it blocks and unblocks, respectively, the through hole (61) of the fixed disc (60), when the rod (50) is angularly displaced from a closed control valve position to an open control valve position.

2. The control valve, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a tubular plug (30) threaded in the opening (13) and having a cylindrical axial hole (31), the sleeve (40) comprising: a mounting portion (41), externally cylindrical, ending in the outer end (41a) , and which is housed so as to be tightly rotated in the interior of the cylindrical axial hole (32) of the tubular plug (30) and defining, internally, the spherical bearing (41b) with its axis being transversal to the axis of the (40); and a control portion (42) defining the inner end (42a) in whose interior is housed, in a tight and rotatively locked manner, the fixed disc (60) .

3. The control valve, according to claim 2, characterized in that the control portion (42) of the sleeve (40) presents a cross section contour, larger than that of the mounting portion (41), in order to define, with the latter, a peripheral step (43) against which is seated an end face of a thrust ring (35) which has an opposite end face seated against an inner end edge (34) of the plug (30), locking axially, but not rotatively, the sleeve (40) in the interior of the body (10).

4. The control valve, according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a sealing ring (48) housed in the cylindrical axial hole (32) of the tubular plug (30), between the latter and the externally cylindrical mounting portion (41) of the sleeve (40) .

5. The control valve, according to any one of claims 2, 3 or 4, character! zed in that the mounting portion (41) of the sleeve (40) presents an inner hole (44), having an inverted trapezoidal cross section, with the small base open to the spherical bearing (41b) and with the large base open to the body (10), in the outer end (41a) of the sleeve (40), the inclined lateral walls (44a) of said inner hole (44) defining stops for ending the course of the angular displacement of the rod (50) .

6. The control valve, according to any one of claims 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the sleeve (40) carries, internally, between the spherical bearing (41b) and the lateral window (42b), an annular bushing (45) which is axially compressed between the median spherical portion (51) of the rod (50) and the movable disc (60), it being further provided two sealing rings (46,47) located, in the interior of the spherical bearing (41b) , in opposite ends of the latter and between the sleeve (40) and the median spherical portion (51) of the rod (50) .

7. The control valve, according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the fixed disc (60) presents a seat face (62) and a mounting face (63) which is seated, in a tight and rotatively free manner, against the annular stop (20), the movable disc (70) presenting a sealing face (72), which is tightly seated, against the seat face (62) of the fixed disc (60), and an engaging face (73) coupled to the rod (50) .

8. The control valve, according to claim 7, characterized in that the engaging face (73) of the movable disc (70) is provided with a median recess (75), the median spherical portion (51) of the rod (50) incorporating an engaging portion (53) which projects to the outside of the spherical bearing (41b), in order to be fitted in the median recess (75) of the engaging face (73) of the movable disc (70) .

9. The control valve, according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fixed disc (60) is axially seated on a sealing ring (76) which is axially compressed against the annular stop (20).

10. The control valve, according to claim 9, characterized in that the sealing ring (76) is axially seated on an end edge (81) of an annular spacer (80) which has an opposite end edge (82) seated against another sealing ring (77) compressed against the annular stop (20) .

11. The control valve, according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises an annular bushing (15) incorporating a peripheral flange (15a) and being threaded in the interior of the annular stop (20) of the body (10), the other sealing ring (77) being axially seated against said peripheral flange (15a).

12. The control valve, according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that the tubular plug (30) presents a semi-spherical head (32), external to the body (10), to the grip portion (52) of the rod (50) being mounted a handle (90) having a base end (91) defined by a concave cylindrical surface, adjacent to the semispherical head (31) and following the radius of curvature of the latter.