Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10~45;~1
If a room has several heat exchanger units, e.g.
hot water radiators, it is known to provide each unit with its
own thermostatically actuated valve which has its own sensor and
its own desired value setting device. However, such a regulator
arrangement has the disadvantage that, upon a change in the desired
value temperature of the room in question, the desired value
springs of every individual valve must be adjusted. Since the
adjustment is often not uniform, the heat exchanger units strive
to produce different temperatures, this giving rise to undesirable
longitudinal flow of the differently heated air within the room.
It is also already known to provide a common
pneumatically or electrically operated setting device for a
plurality of valves. However, this requires supplementary
auxiliary energy.
The invention is based on the problem of ~roviding
à sensing and setting device for a regulator arrangement comprising
a plurality of thermostatically actuated valves, which device is
common to all valves but works without auxiliary energy.
This problem is solved according to the invention
by a single sensor and by a converting device with a transmitter
element which is ~lnder the influence of the vapor pressure of the
sensor and of an adjustable desired value spring and which is
connected to the operating elements of several valves by a trans- -
mission system filled with liquid.
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By using only one sensor one obtains a simple con-
struction. The vapour pressure of the sensor changes with an
alteration in the temperature. This leads to a displacement of
the transmitter element and thus to simultaneous ad~ustment of all
connected valves. A similar effect is obtained when the common
desired value spring is adjusted. Since the temperature is
represented by the vapour pressure and the setting quantity by
the liquid pressure and neither by a change in volume, the adjust- -
ment can have a uniform effect for all the valves. The valve
settings are determined by an equilibrium of forces between the
liquid pressure on the surface of the operating element and the
counterforces caused by the springs associated with the individual
valves or their operating elements. Also, it is immaterial how
many operating elemènts are connected to the sensing and setting
device; if, for example, four valves are connected instead of two,
the transmitter element simply executes twice the stroke. Within
certain limits, a single size will suffice to set the desired value
of any number of valves simultaneously.
It is of particular advantage if the desired value
setting spring is disposed in the vapour pressure chamber and acts
in the same sense as the vapour pressure. This construction saves
space.
In some cases it is then desirable to provide the
sensing and setting device
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1094521
with a further spril~ whicll loads the transmitter element
against the vapour pressure. This can ensure that an operating
element is not overloaded when the associated spring force is
removed, e~g. during assembly or during a repair.
In another embodiment, it is ensured that the desired
value setting spring is disposed in the transmitter element and
acts against the vapour pressure. This again saves space,
the desired value settin~ spring simultaneously assuming the
function of the overload protecting spring.
Further simplification is obtained if the transmitter
element is surrounded by a vapour pressure chamber which is
partially filled with liquid and simultaneously serves as
sensor, An additional sensing element can then be dispensed
with,
In summary of the above the present invention may be
seen to provide a thermostatic value regulating system,
comprising at least two valve operating units each having an
expansible chamber element, the valve operating units each having
valve operating rod means movably responsive in opening and
closing directions to the expansion and recession of the
expansible chamber elements, a termostatic regulator having a
casing, the regulator having a transmitting expansible chamber
element (TECE) and a temperature responsive expansible chamber
element (TRECE), first and second expansible capillary tube
means between the TECE and each of the operating unit expansible
chamber elements, a transmitting liquid in the capillary tube
means and the expansible chamber elements connected thereto, a
liquid-vapor filling in the TRECE, the TECE having one end fixed
relative to the casing and a free end, the TRECE having one end
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in adjustably fixed relation to the casing and a free end in
common with and in series transmitting relation to the free
end of the TECE.
The invention will now be described in more detail
with reference to the example illustrated in the drawing,
wherein:
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the entire
regulator arrangement;
Fig, 2 is a front elevation of a sensing and setting
device according to the invention;
1094SZl
Fig. 3 ~s a part-sectional sidc elevation of the
Fig. 2 device, and
Fig. 4 is a section through another embodiment of
a sensing and setting device accordi~g to the invention.
In accordance with Fig. 1, a room contains several
radiators 1, 2 and 3 connected to a hot water supply conduit ~
and a return conduit 5. The connection to the supply conduit is
in each case by a valve 6 of which the valve shank 7 comprises
an actuating attachment 8. The latter comprises an operating
element 9 bounded by an external pot 10 and corrugated tubular
bellows 11, and a spring 12 supported at the base of the corrugated
tubular bellows and a flange that is fixed with respect to the
housing. The valves 6 and the associated operating elements 8 of
all three radiators are of identical construction. They are
connected to each other and to a sensing and setting device 13 by~
capillary tubes 14. The sensing and setting device is for example
intended for mounting on a wall.
The construction of this sensing and setting device
13 will now be described in connection with Figs. 2 and 3. A
housing cup 16 having a screw-threaded sleeve 18 in the middle of
its base 17 is secured to a square wall 15 which is fixed with
respect to the housing and also serves as a mounting. Screwed into
this sleeve~there is a screw-threaded connector 19 projecting from
the end wall 20 of a rotary knob 21, the end wall having a peripheral
wall 22 which surrounds the housing cup and has air slots 23.
Corrugated tubular bellows 24 are connected by one end to the wall
15 fixed with respect to the housing and at the other end to a
movable base 25 having an external flange 26, an axially extending
connecting section 27 and a central portion 2So A spring 29 with
predetermined fixed pretensioning extends between the wall 15-fixed
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with respect to the housing and the external fl~n~e 26. An
ad~ustable desired value spring extends between the central portion
23 of the movable base 25 and the external flange 31 of a supporting
plate 32 which likewise comprises an axial connecting section 33
and a central portion 34. This central portion is supported on the
end face of the screw-threaded connector l9o Sealing bellows 35
are connec~ed by one end to this central portion 34 and by the
other end to the base 17 of the housing cup.
The capillary tube 14 opens into a transmitter element
36 which is bounded by the corrugated tube 24, the ~ovable base 25
and the wall 15 fixed with respect to the housing and, together with
the capillary tubes and the operating elements 9 of the valves 6,
forms a closed system filled with liquid. A vapour pressure
chamber 37 is bounded by the corrugated tu~e 24, the movable base
25, and sealing bellows 35, the housing cup 16 and the wall 15
fixed with respect to the housing. This chamber is filled with a
small amount of vaporisable liquid which is heated by the air
supplied through the slots 23 by way of the housing cup 16 which is
of metal; consequently a pressure corresponding to the temperature
is produced in the vapour pressure chamber 37.
Accordingly, the movable base 25 assumes a position
of equilibrium which depends not only on the vapour pressure and
the force difference of the springs 29 and 30 but which is also
affected by the liquid pressure which obtains in the transmission
system and which is caused by the compressed springs 12 in the
individual attachments 8. If, now, the temperature and thus the
vapour pressure drop, the base 25 moves to the left in Fig. 3 pri-
marily under the influence of the springs 12 until a new condition
of equilibrium has been reached in which the springs 12 have
3~: expanded. This causes all valves to be opened further by an equal
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1094521.
amount. Similar conditions apply when the rotary knob 21 is turned
for the purpose of setting the ~esired value ~ecause in this case
the force of the desired value spring 30 is changed instead of the
vapour pressure. This operating mechanism is independent o~ the
number of operating elements 9 that is connected. This is because
the positions of equilibrium are substantially dependent on pressure
but not on volume. When connecting a larger number of operating
elements 9, a longer stroke for the movable base 25 is obtained
with a given temperature difference.
To set the desired value, the rotary knob 21 has a
pointer 38. A scale 39 with graduations 40 is mounted on the wall
15 that is fixed with respect to the housing.
The central portions 28 and 34 of the base 25 and the
supporting plate 32 that are axially offset in relation to the
external flanges 26 and 31 not only have the advantage of keeping
the entire device axially short. They also serve as limiting
abutments or counterbearings preventing an excessive stroke of the
base 25, so that the corrugated tubular bellows of the operating
elements 9 cannot be overloaded.
In the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, the
same references are used for corresponding parts as in Figs. 2 and
3 but increased by 100. In this construction only a single spring
130 is used which serves as a desired value setting spring as well
as an overload protecting spring. It is disposed in the transmitter
element 136 together with the supporting plate 132. Whereas the
supporting plate 132 has an external flange 131, an axial section
133 and a central portion 134, the movable base 125 is plane. The
wall 115 fixed with respect to the housing is cup-shaped and com-
prises an external flange 141 to which the corrugated tubular
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bello~s 124 are secured. ~n internally arranged cylinder 142 limits
the path of the movable base 125. This wall fixed with respect to
the housing is connected to an outer housing 144 by means of struts
143. The rotary knob 121 has an internal screwthread 145 at its
peripheral wall 122 in which there is engaged a screw plate 146
which carries a pressure pin 119 of the setting device. The screw
plate is cup-shaped and comprises three recesses for the passage
of the six struts 143 and a slot 147 for building in the capillary
tube 14. The screw plate is held against rotation by means of
the struts 143. This means that, on rotation of the knob 121, it
is axially displaced and thus the supporting plate 132 is axially
adjusted to adjust the desired value setting spring 130.
If necessary, the vapour pressure cha~ber 37 can also be
connected by means of a capillary tube to a separately arranged
sensor.
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