Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC WATER DIVERTER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic water diverter for a bath
faucet, and more
particularly to a water diverter, which is capable of automatically changing a
switching
position through utilizing the resistance of a water passage, and alleviating
switching noises
of the faucet and satisfying the flow standard of a spray member by disposing
a diverting
assembly at an upstream of a check valve.
Related Art
Generally, a conventional diverter valve for a bath faucet is configured with
a structure
as disclosed in US Patent Publication No. US5752541, which provides a spray
member
function. The diverter valve includes a seal to engage a valve housing and
prevent back
siphonage, and further includes a piston head and a valve seat to provide
secondary against
back flow.
When the spray member is closed, the seal of the diverter valve (first head)
is forced to
move away from a sealing position and allow the fluid flow to the spout. When
the spray
member is open, the fluid pressure can cause the diverter valve to close off
fluid from
entering to the spout, and allow fluid flow past the piston (second head) into
the spray
member.
Although the conventional diverter valve provides a water diverting function,
the
structure is then used and practically tested, it results that no fluid flows
out from the spray
member when the spray member is open when an inlet fluid pressure is a low
pressure (20
PSI) with no water economizer added to the spray member, due to a locking
force at one
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head of the seal is smaller than that of one head of the piston, If a water
economizer is
further added, the situation is much worse.
When the inlet fluid pressure is a high pressure (80-125 PSI) with no water
economizer
added to the spray member, the outlet pressure for the spray member is 80-125
PSI.
However, switching the diverter valve may result in a water hammer effect to
force the
spray member generate vibrations and produce noises, and the outlet flow is
then larger than
a standard value of 9.5 L/M. If a water economizer was added to the spray
member, the
water economizer produces a blocking effect, therefore, the pressure within an
inner cavity
of the diverter valve is increased and forces the piston to open. As a result,
the fluid flows
out from both the spray member and the other outlet, and it is impossible to
achieve the
function of water diverting.
Therefore, it has become a technical problem to be solved by the inventor of
the present
invention how to provide an automatic water diverter capable of automatically
diverting the
water, reducing the vibrations and noises generated during switching, and
satisfying the
standard of the outlet flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problem, the present invention is directed to a water
diverter,
which is capable of automatically changing the resistance of the water passage
through
utilizing the fluid pressure, thereby alleviating the vibrations and noises
generated during
switching and satisfying the flow standard.
In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an
automatic
water diverter, which includes: a valve seat, a diverting assembly, and a
spring. The valve
seat has a passage disposed in the center thereof, which axially penetrates
therethrough. A
flange protruding inwards is annularly disposed on an inner peripheral surface
of a top side
of the passage, so as to form a through hole. An upper side of the valve seat
is connected
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to an upper outlet pipe, a lower side thereof is connected to a lower outlet
pipe, and the
valve seat is connected to at least one inlet pipe. The diverting assembly is
sleeved within
the valve seat, and includes: a seal, a diverting rod, a sliding sleeve, and a
check valve.
The diverting rod has a suitable length and is sleeved in the passage in a
manner of moving
up and down. An upper side of the diverting rod is fixed to the seal, and the
check valve is
disposed at a lower side of the diverting rod and is made of a compressible
elastic material.
The sliding sleeve is sleeved on the diverting rod and disposed between the
tapered seal and
the check valve. The sliding sleeve has a via hole corresponding to the inlet
pipe, which is
provided for the fluid to pass through. The spring is disposed within the
sliding sleeve,
one head of the spring is pressed against a bottom surface of the flange, and
the other head
is pressed against the sliding sleeve.
A water limiting element is further connected to a bottom part of the sliding
sleeve, so
as to control the fluid flow.
Therefore, the automatic water diverter of the present invention uses the
fluid pressure
effect to force the diverting rod of the present invention move up and down to
automatically
control the diverting direction and reduce the vibrations and noises generated
during the
movement. Meanwhile, through the mutual motions between elements, the water
limiting
function may be achieved, so as to satisfy the flow standard of the spray
member.
In order to the make aforementioned and other objects, features, and
advantages of the
present invention comprehensible, the embodiment accompanied with figures is
described
in detail below.
Definitely, the present invention allows some variations on certain parts or
arrangement
of the parts, but the embodiment selected in the present invention is
illustrated in detail in
the specification, and the construction thereof is shown in the accompanying
drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed
description
given herein below for illustration only, and thus is not limitative of the
present invention,
and wherein:
FIG 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG 1 A is a top view of a stopper and an 0-ring disposed on a sliding sleeve
according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the present invention being assembled on a bath
faucet;
FICx 3 is a first schematic view of a using state of the present invention;
and
FIG 4 is a second schematic view of a using state of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As for the technical means adopted in the present invention to achieve the
above
objective, a detailed illustration is given below through the embodiment and
accompanying
drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring
to FIG 1, an automatic water diverter 1 of the present invention mainly
includes a valve
seat 3, a diverting assembly 4, and a spring 5.
The valve seat 3 has a bushing 30 sleeved therein, and the bushing 30 has a
passage 31.
A flange 32a protruding inwards is annularly disposed on an inner peripheral
surface at a
middle section of the passage 31, so as to form a through hole 32 that may be
tapered (not
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shown), but it is not limited herein. An upper side of the valve seat 3 is
connected to an
upper outlet pipe 33, a lower side thereof is connected to a lower outlet pipe
34, and two
sides are further respectively connected to a cold water inlet pipe 35 and a
hot water inlet
pipe 36. The bushing 30 has inlet holes 30a and 30b respectively corresponding
to the
cold water inlet pipe 35 and the hot water inlet pipe 36, which are provided
for the fluid to
flow therein.
The diverting assembly 4 is sleeved within the valve seat 3. Particularly, the
diverting
assembly 4 is disposed in the passage 31 of the bushing 30 and includes: a
tapered seal 41, a
diverting rod 42, a sliding sleeve 43, a stopper 44, an 0-ring 45, and a check
valve 46.
The diverting rod 42 has a suitable length and is sleeved in the passage 31 in
a manner of
moving up and down. An upper side of the diverting rod 42 is protruded from
the through
hole 32 and is fixed with the tapered seal 41. The tapered sea141 has a
tapered surface 41a
corresponding to the through hole 32. A diameter of the through hole is
between a
minimum diameter and a maximum diameter of the tapered sea141, so that the
tapered seal
41 can partially pass through the through hole 32 and sleeve with the through
hole 32 in
order to seal the fluid.
The check valve 46 is disposed at a lower side of the diverting rod 42 (i.e.,
the head
close to the lower outlet pipe), and is made of a compressible and elastic
material (e.g.,
rubber), which cross-section is disk-shaped and an inner diameter is slightly
smaller than
that of the passage 31. The check valve 46 has a lip edge 46a at a periphery
thereof, and
the lip edge 46 is provided with a tapered space 46b increasingly expanding
downwards
disposed at an inner side thereof. The lip edge 46a has a suitable thickness
and desirable
flexibility, such that the lip edge 46a may expand outwards or shrink inwards
by a fluid
pressure effect.
The sliding sleeve 43 is sleeved on the diverting rod 42 and disposed between
the
tapered seal 41 and the check valve 46. Two sides of the sliding sleeve 43
respectively
have a via hole 43c, and each via hole 43c is disposed corresponding to the
inlet holes 30a
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and 30b, which is provided for the fluid to pass therethrough.
FIC~ IA is a top view of a stopper and an 0-ring disposed on a sliding sleeve
according
to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG 1 A, a water
limiting element
431 is connected to a bottom part of the sliding sleeve 4, and has an annular
slot 43a. The
annular slot 43a has several water limiting holes 43b disposed thereon, which
are
equidistantly spaced apart from each other. The water limiting holes 43b are
disposed
surrounding the inner diameter of the annular slot 43a, and a diameter of the
water limiting
holes 43b is slightly larger than a width of the annular slot 43a. The 0-ring
45 is
embedded in the annular slot 43a, and the diameter of the 0-ring 45 is
approximately the
same as the width of the annular slot 43a. As the diameter of the water
limiting holes 43b
is slightly larger than the width of the annular slot 43a, the water limiting
holes 43b still
have some space for the fluid to pass therethrough when the 0-ring 45 is
embedded in the
annular slot 43a, thereby controlling the fluid flow to satisfy the flow
standard. The
stopper 44 is disposed on the annular slot 43a, so as to firmly press the 0-
ring 45.
The spring 5 is disposed within the sliding sleeve 43, one head of the spring
5 is
pressed against the bottom surface of the flange 32a, and the other head
thereof is pressed
against the stopper 44 or merely pressed against the bottom part of the
sliding sleeve 43.
The diverting rod 42 sequentially passes through the tapered seal 41, the
through hole 32,
the spring 5, the sliding sleeve 43, and the check valve 46, and the elements
are pressed
against each other, such that the diverting rod 42 is maintained in the center
position.
FIG 2 is a schematic view of the present invention being assembled on a bath
faucet.
Referring to FICx 2, a cold water pipe 21 and a hot water pipe 22 of a bath
faucet assembly
2 are respectively connected to the cold water inlet pipe 35 and the hot water
inlet pipe 36,
and the lower outlet pipe 34 is connected to a spray member 24 through a hose
23, and the
spray member 24 has a switch 241 to control the spray member 24 to be open or
closed.
FICx 3 is a first schematic view of a using state of the present invention.
Referring to
FIG 3, when the switch of the spray member is turned on, the fluid (as
indicated by the
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arrow) flows to the passage 31 via the inlet hole 30a. The spring 5 is
respectively pressed
against the flange 32a and the stopper 44, and the tapered seal 41 seals the
through hole 32,
so that the fluid flows downwards. Furthermore, the check valve 46 is made of
a
compressible elastic material (e.g., rubber), and under the fluid pressure
generated by the
fluid, the check valve 46 is forced to shrink inwards for the fluid to pass
through, and then
the fluid flows to the spray member via the lower outlet pipe 34. Meanwhile,
the fluid
may also pass through the water limiting hole 43b, so as to satisfy the flow
standard.
FICz 4 is a second schematic view of a using state of the present invention.
Referring
to FIG 4, when the switch of the spray member is turned off, the fluid fills
up the lower
outlet pipe 34, which forces the check valve 46 to expand outwards, so as to
block the
upward fluid pressure. Then, the check valve 46 together with the entire
diverting
assembly is pushed upwards under the fluid pressure. Meanwhile, as the fluid
at the lower
side of the passage 31 has been blocked by the check valve 46, the fluid
pressure only
produces an upward force. On the other hand, the sliding sleeve 43 is disposed
between
the tapered seal 41 and the check valve 46 through the spring 5, and the
sliding sleeve 43
and the tapered seal 41 are made to move upwards to be away from the through
hole 32,
through utilizing the upward fluid pressure force and the downward elastic
force of the
spring 5. At this time, the flow path between each via hole 43c and each of
the inlet holes
30a and 30b may be enlarged, so that the fluid flows to the upper outlet pipe
33 via the
through hole 32, and the vibrations generated during switching are avoided,
thereby
reducing the noises.
Therefore, with the above structure, through turning on or off the switch of
the spray
member and utilizing the fluid pressure, the diverting rod of the present
invention can be
forced to move up and down to automatically control the diverting direction,
thereby
reducing the vibrations and noises generated during movement. Meanwhile,
through the
mutual motions between elements, the water limiting function may be achieved,
so as to
satisfy the flow standard of the spray member.
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In addition, the sliding sleeve 43 is configured in a sliding manner, so that
the via hole
43c and the inlet holes 30a and 30b may be disposed in a misalignment manner.
Therefore,
as the sliding sleeve 43 moves to another position, the size of the flow path
formed between
the via hole 43c and each of the inlet holes 30a and 30b may be changed
accordingly. That
is, when the tapered seal 41 seals the through hole 32, and the fluid is
forced to flow
downwards through the check valve 46, a smaller flow path is formed between
the via hole
43c and the inlet holes 30a and 30b (the state as shown in FIG 3). When the
diverting rod
42 moves upwards, the tapered seal 41 moves away from the through hole 32, and
the fluid
is forced to flow upwards through the through hole 32, a larger flow path is
formed between
the via hole 43c and the inlet holes 30a and 30b (the state as shown in FICz
4). Therefore,
through such a misalignment configuration, the effects of water saving and
satisfying the
flow standard can be achieved.
Furthermore, under the common requirement of a large outlet flow at the outlet
(larger
than 8 GPM under a pressure of 40 PSI), the outlet flow of the spray member
must be
smaller than 9.5 L/M. For the structure of the present invention, when the
cold water pipe
21 or/and the hot water pipe 22 has a low pressure (20 PSI) therein, the fluid
pressure in the
passage 31 is also the low pressure (20 PSI), while the locking force of the
tapered seal 41
can be improved through the spring 5, such that it can also achieve the
diverting function.
When the cold water pipe 21 or/and the hot water pipe 22 has a high pressure
(80-125 PSI)
therein, the fluid pressure in the passage 31 is smaller than 80 PSI, so as to
lower the
pressure in the cold water pipe 21 or/and the hot water pipe 22, thereby
reducing the
vibrations and impacting noises caused by the water hammer effect. That is,
the sliding
sleeve 43 is provided for attenuating the fluid supply pressure force.
Therefore, no matter
the diverting assembly 4 moves upwards or downwards, the force applied thereon
is smaller
than that of the conventional structure, so the vibrations and impacting
noises generated by
the water diverter I are greatly alleviated.
Therefore, the automatic water diverter of the present invention can surely
achieve the
objective of the present invention.
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The disclosure of the embodiments is intended to illustrate the present
invention, but
not to limit the scope of the present invention, so the variation of cited
values or
replacement of equivalent elements still falls within the scope of the present
invention.
Through the above detailed descriptions, it is apparent for those skilled in
the art that
the present invention surely achieves the above objectives, which conforms to
the
provisions of the patent law, so as to apply for the patent application.
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