Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
PRESSURE BALANCE VALVE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pressure balance valve.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional pressure valve is applied in various water
supply devices, such as conventional or digital showering systems,
as disclosed in US Patent No. 8,267111 B2, US Publication Nos.
US 2013/0042923 Al and US 2012/0138177.
The water supply device is normally a temperature control
faucet and includes a theimostatic valve and a temperature sensing
element for matching with the thermostatic valve; the thermostatic
valve can adjust desired mixing ratio of cold water and hot water
based on a preset showing temperature.
The thermostatic valve can adjust the desired mixing ratio
of the cold water and the hot water by adjusting a size of each of a
cold-water orifice and a hot-water orifice. However, when the
cold-water pressure of the cold-water orifice and the hot-water
pressure of the hot-water orifice are not equal, the desired mixing
ratio of the cold water and the hot water cannot be adjusted
precisely. To overcome such a problem, a pressure balance valve is
fixed on an inlet end of the water supply device so as to
automatically adjust water pressures of the cold water and the hot
water, thus balancing the cold-water pressure of the cold-water
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
orifice and the hot-water pressure of the hot-water orifice.
Conventional pressure balance contains a housing, a fitting
sleeve disposed in the housing, and a valve core, wherein between
the housing and the fitting sleeve is defined a receiving chamber so
that the valve core axially slides in the receiving chamber. The
valve core includes a cold-water pressure room and a hot-water
pressure room which are spaced from each other by a pressure
sensing fence, and the pressure sensing fence has a cold-water
detection face and a hot-water detection face so that the cold-water
pressure in the cold-water pressure room and the hot-water pressure
in the hot-water pressure room act on the cold-water detection face
and the hot-water detection face, when a pressure difference
between the cold-water pressure and the hot-water pressure is
sensed, the valve core acts on the pressure sensing fence and
automatically slides so as to balance the cold-water pressure and the
hot-water pressure.
A receiving chamber of a pressure balance valve of another
temperature control faucet is defined by a part of components of a
thermostatic valve, such as, a thermostatic valve core in a cylinder
shape, an end plug mounted on one first end of the thermostatic
valve core, and a central shaft fixed on a second end of the
thermostatic valve core. The central shaft drives the thermostatic
valve core rotates in a valve seat of the thermostatic valve so as to
adjust a mixing ratio of cold water and hot water, such that a
peripheral fence of the receiving chamber can be rotated as well
2
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
during mixing the cold water and the hot water together.
Accordingly, the valve core of the pressure balance valve
has to axially slide quickly and accurately according to the pressure
difference of the cold-water pressure and the hot-water pressure,
hence a high stability and precision of the pressure balance valve is
required.
Likewise, in some conditions, the valve core has to stop
the cold water flowing into the cold-water pressure room or to stop
the hot water flowing into the hot-water pressure room, a high
tightness between the valve core and the housing is therefore
required as well. To comply with above-mentioned requirements, a
gap between an outer surface of the valve core and an inner surface
of the housing has to be less than 0.03mm, and the outer surface of
the valve core and the inner surface of the housing have to be
machined smoothly, thus causing high machining cost.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate
the afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a pressure
balance valve which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of
the conventional pressure balance valve.
To obtain the above, a pressure balance valve is fixed on a
water supply device.
The pressure balance valve contains:
3
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
a receiving chamber being cylindrical and including an
external cold-water inlet and an external hot-water inlet which are
axially defined along an inner wall of the receiving chamber so that
cold water and hot water flow into the receiving chamber from the
external cold-water inlet and the external hot-water inlet, the
receiving chamber also including an external cold-water outlet and
an external hot-water outlet which are axially formed on the
peripheral wall thereof so that the cold water and the hot water flow
out of the external cold-water outlet and the external hot-water
outlet from the receiving chamber;
a valve core including a pressure sensing fence radially
extending thereon, a first ring portion and a second ring portion
which axially extend along two sides thereof; between the first ring
portion and the pressure sensing fence being defined a cold-water
pressure cavity; between the second ring portion and the pressure
sensing fence being defined a hot-water pressure cavity; the first
ring portion having an internal cold-water inlet and an internal
cold-water outlet which communicate with each other via the
cold-water pressure cavity, wherein the internal cold-water inlet
communicates with the external cold-water inlet, and the internal
cold-water outlet communicates with the external cold-water outlet;
the second ring portion having an internal hot-water inlet and an
internal hot-water outlet which communicate with each other via
the hot-water pressure cavity, wherein the internal hot-water inlet
communicates with the external hot-water inlet, and the internal
4
CA 02837915 2015-08-07
hot-water outlet communicates with the external hot-water outlet; the first
ring portion also
having at least one first fixing slot defined on an outer wall thereof; and
the second ring
portion also having at least one second fixing slot formed on an outer wall
thereof;
at least one first resilient loop fitted in the at least one first fixing
slot;
5 at
least second resilient loop fitted in the at least one second fixing slot;
characterized
in that
when the at least one first resilient loop and the at least one second
resilient loop are
fixed, an outer diameter of each of the at least one first resilient loop and
the at least one
second resilient loop is D; a diameter of the outer wall of each of the first
ring portion and the
second ring portion is Dl; an inner diameter of the inner wall of the
receiving chamber is D2;
wherein D1<D<D2 and 0.03mm<D2-D1 <0.2mm.
Thereby, a tolerance among the inner wall of the receiving chamber, the outer
wall of
the first ring portion, and the outer wall of the second ring portion can be
increased, i.e., the
tolerance of the present invention is increased to 0.2mm, but a conventional
tolerance is
limited less than 0.03mm, and 0.03mm<D2-D1<0.2mm or 0.1mm<D2-Dl<0.2mm
preferably.
In other words, the tolerance of the present invention is increased, but the
pressure balance
valve still has excellent pressure balance. Accordingly, two size precisions
of an outer
diameter of an outer wall of the valve core and the inner diameter of the
inner wall of the
receiving chamber are greatly reduced, thus lowering manufacturing cost.
It is to be noted that a tolerance between the valve core and the receiving
chamber
can be increased, because the two first resilient loops and the two second
resilient loops are
used to fill a gap formed by the tolerance. In details, although the gap among
the inner wall of
the receiving chamber, the outer wall of the first ring portion, and the outer
wall of the second
ring portion can be
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
increased, after the two first resilient loops and the two second
resilient loops are mounted, they are pressed by water pressure to
cause a deformation so as to fill the gap, such that the valve core is
fitted with and slides along the receiving chamber smoothly so as to
exactly and quickly react to a pressure difference between the cold
water and the hot water, thereby obtaining stable and precise mixed
temperature.
In addition, a surface roughness of the valve core is
reduced greatly so as to eliminate surface grinding process, thus
saving machining cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pressure balance
valve being fixed on a water supply device according a first
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is another perspective view showing the pressure
balance valve being fixed on the water supply device according the
first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of
the pressure balance valve according to the first embodiment of the
present invention.
6
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
FIG. 6 is another cross sectional view showing the
assembly of the pressure balance valve according to the first
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the assembly
of the pressure balance valve according to the first embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a part of the assembly of the
pressure balance valve according to the first embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of
FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of
FIG. 8.
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of
FIG. 8.
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of
FIG. 8.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a
valve core, two first resilient loops and two second resilient loops of
the pressure balance valve according to the first embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG 14 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of
FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view showing the operation of
the pressure balance valve according to the first embodiment of the
7
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
present invention.
FIG. 16 is another cross sectional view showing the
operation of the pressure balance valve according to the first
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a pressure balance
valve being fixed on a water supply device according a second
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is another perspective view showing the pressure
balance valve being fixed on the water supply device according the
second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of
FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of
the pressure balance valve according to the second embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of
FIG. 20.
FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a
valve core, two first resilient loops and two second resilient loops of
the pressure balance valve according to the second embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS
Referring further to FIGS. 1-4, a pressure balance valve 1
8
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
according to a first embodiment of the present invention is fixed on
a water supply device 2. The water supply device 2 is a temperature
control faucet and includes a faucet body 3, a temperature
controlling valve 4, and the pressure balance valve 1 adjacent to the
temperature controlling valve 4. The faucet body 3 includes a
mounting groove 3a, a cold-water inflow channel 3b
communicating with the mounting groove 3a, a hot-water inflow
channel 3c, and two mixing outflow channels 3d. The temperature
controlling valve 4 is mounted in the mounting groove 3a and
includes a valve seat 4a, a central shaft 4b secured on the valve seat
4a, a thermostatic valve core 4c connected with a bottom end of the
central shaft 4b and formed in a cylinder shape, and an end plug 4d
for closing a bottom end of the thermostatic valve core 4c; wherein
the bottom end of the central shaft 4b engages with a top end of the
thermostatic valve core 4c, and the central shaft 4b is connected
with the thermostatic valve core 4c by ways of a bolt 4e.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressure balance valve 1
comprises a receiving chamber 10, a valve core 20, two first
resilient loops 30, and two second resilient loops 40.
As shown in FIG. 7, the receiving chamber 10 is
cylindrical and includes an external cold-water inlet 11 and an
external hot-water inlet 12 which are axially defined along an inner
wall of the receiving chamber 10 so that cold water and hot water
flow into the receiving chamber 10 from the external cold-water
inlet 11 and the external hot-water inlet 12. The receiving chamber
9
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
also includes an external cold-water outlet 13 and an external
hot-water outlet 14 which are axially formed on the inner wall
thereof so that the cold water and the hot water flow out of the
external cold-water outlet 13 and the external hot-water outlet 14
5 from the receiving chamber 10.
As illustrated in FIGS. 8-10, in this embodiment, the
external cold-water inlet 11 includes two first openings 110
symmetrically defined along a peripheral wall thereof, and the
external hot-water inlet 12 includes two second openings 120
10 symmetrically formed along a peripheral wall thereof.
With reference to FIGS. 11 and 2, in this embodiment, the
external cold-water outlet 13 includes two first orifices 130
unsymmetrically defined along a peripheral wall thereof, and the
external hot-water outlet 14 includes two second orifices 140
unsymmetrically arranged along a peripheral wall thereof.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the
receiving chamber 10 is defined by the thermostatic valve core 4c,
the central shaft 4b and the end plug 4d, and the peripheral wall of
the thermostatic valve core 4c is defined by the thermostatic valve
core 4c.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the
temperature controlling valve 4 is driven by the central shaft 4b to
control a circumferential orientation angle of the thermostatic valve
core 4c in the valve seat 4a and to adjust a mixed ratio of the cold
water and the hot water which flow out of the pressure balance
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
valve 1, thus adjusting a mixed temperature of the cold water and
the hot water. However, the temperature controlling valve is a
well-known art, so further remarks are omitted.
As illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, the valve core 20
includes a pressure sensing fence 21 radially extending thereon, a
first ring portion 22 and a second ring portion 23 which axially
extend along two sides thereof; between the first ring portion 22
and the pressure sensing fence 21 is defined a cold-water pressure
cavity 24; between the second ring portion 23 and the pressure
sensing fence 21 is defined a hot-water pressure cavity 25; the first
ring portion 22 has an internal cold-water inlet 221 and an internal
cold-water outlet 222 which communicate with each other via the
cold-water pressure cavity 24, wherein the internal cold-water inlet
221 communicates with the external cold-water inlet 11, and the
internal cold-water outlet 222 communicates with the external
cold-water outlet 13; the second ring portion 23 has an internal
hot-water inlet 231 and an internal hot-water outlet 232 which
communicate with each other via the hot-water pressure cavity 25,
wherein the internal hot-water inlet 231 communicates with the
external hot-water inlet 12, and the internal hot-water outlet 232
communicates with the external hot-water outlet 14; the first ring
portion 22 also has two first fixing slots 220 defined on an outer
wall thereof; and the second ring portion 23 also has two second
fixing slots 230 formed on an outer wall thereof.
The internal cold-water inlet 221 is comprised of four first
11
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
holes 223 isometrically arranged around the first ring portion 22.
The internal cold-water outlet 222 is comprised of four second
holes 224 isometrically arranged around the first ring portion 22.
The internal hot-water inlet 231 is comprised of four first
apertures 233 isometrically arranged around the second ring portion
23. The internal hot-water outlet 232 is comprised of four second
apertures 234 isometrically arranged around the second ring portion
23.
Since the receiving chamber 10 of the pressure balance
valve 1 is defined by the bottom end of the central shaft 4b of the
temperature controlling valve 4, the thermostatic valve core 4c and
the end plug 4d, when the central shaft 4b rotates, four positions of
the external cold-water inlet 11, the external hot-water inlet 12, the
external cold-water outlet 13 and the external hot-water outlet 14 on
receiving chamber 10 change. In addition, the four second apertures
223, the four second apertures 224, the four first apertures 233 and
the four second apertures 234 are isometrically arranged around the
first ring portion 22 and the second ring portion 23 so that the cold
water and the hot water flow into and flow out of the valve core 20
freely, thus avoiding influencing the pressure balance valve 1.
With reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, each first resilient loop
is fitted in each first fixing slot 220.
Each second resilient loop 40 is fitted in each second
fixing slot 230.
25 When each first resilient loop 30 and each second resilient
12
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
loop 40 are not fixed, their cross-sectional areas are circular.
Furthermore, each first resilient loop 30 and each second resilient
loop 40 are made of flexible material with high hardness and
wearing resistance, such as rubber material. Preferably, the rubber
material is any one of Acrylonitrile Butadiene rubber (NBR),
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monome (EPDM), and polysiloxanes
(i.e., silicone). It is preferable that a hardness (Shore hardness A) of
the rubber material is within 60 to 90 degrees.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 14, when the two first resilient
loops 30 and the two second resilient loops 40 are fixed, an outer
diameter of each of the two first resilient loops 30 and the two
second resilient loops 40 is D; a diameter of the outer wall of each
of the first ring portion 22 and the second ring portion 23 is Dl; an
inner diameter of the inner wall of the receiving chamber 10 is D2;
wherein Dl<Dg302, but preferably D I <D<D2.
Moreover, a tolerance among the inner wall of the
receiving chamber 10, the outer wall of the first ring portion 22, and
the outer wall of the second ring portion 23 can be increased, i.e.,
the tolerance of the present invention is increased to 0.2mm, but a
conventional tolerance is limited less than 0.03mm, and
0.03mm<D2-D1<0.2mm or 0.1mm<D2-D1<0.2mm preferably. In
other words, the tolerance of the present invention is increased, but
the pressure balance valve 1 still has excellent pressure balance.
Accordingly, two size precisions of an outer diameter of an outer
wall of the valve core 20 and the inner diameter of the inner wall of
13
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
the receiving chamber 10 are greatly reduced, thus lowering
manufacturing cost.
It is to be noted that a tolerance between the valve core 20
and the receiving chamber 10 can be increased, because the two
first resilient loops 30 and the two second resilient loops 40 are
used to fill a gap formed by the tolerance. In details, although the
gap among the inner wall of the receiving chamber 10, the outer
wall of the first ring portion 22, and the outer wall of the second
ring portion 23 can be increased, after the two first resilient loops
30 and the two second resilient loops 40 are mounted, they are
pressed by water pressure to cause a deformation so as to fill the
gap, such that the valve core 20 is fitted with and slides along the
receiving chamber 10 smoothly so as to exactly and quickly react to
a pressure difference between the cold water and the hot water,
thereby obtaining stable and precise mixed temperature.
In addition, a surface roughness of the valve core 20 is
reduced greatly so as to eliminate surface grinding process, thus
saving machining cost.
The two first resilient loops 30 and the two second resilient
loops 40 are also provided to close the cold water and the hot water.
For example, the valve core 20 is designed to move between a first
dead point and a second dead point of the receiving chamber 10, as
shown in FIG. 15, when the valve core 20 upwardly moves close to
the first dead point, the two first resilient loops 30 are arranged to
close the inner wall of the receiving chamber 10 where the external
14
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
cold-water inlet 11 is defined so that the cold water which flows
into the internal cold-water inlet 221 from the external cold-water
inlet 11 is closed. Also, when the valve core 20 downwardly moves
close to the second dead point, as shown in FIG. 16, the two second
resilient loops 40 are arranged to close the inner wall of the
receiving chamber 10 where the external hot-water inlet 12 is
defined so that the hot water which flows into the internal hot-water
inlet 231 from the external hot-water inlet 12 is closed.
The first ring portion 22 also has the two first fixing slots
220 defined on the outer wall thereof so as to fit with the two first
resilient loops 30; and the second ring portion 23 also has the two
second fixing slots 230 formed on the outer wall thereof so as to fit
with the two second resilient loops 40. However, it is acceptable to
provide one first fixing slot 220 for fitting with one first resilient
loop 20 and to provide one second fixing slot 230 for fitting with
one second resilient loop 40.
With reference to FIGS. 17-19, a difference of a pressure
balance valve 1 of a second embodiment from that of the first
embodiment comprises: the pressure balance valve 1 is fixed on a
bottom end of a temperature controlling valve 4, such that after cold
water flows upwardly to the pressure balance valve 1 from a
cold-water inflow channel 3b of a faucet body 3, and hot water
flows upwardly to the pressure balance valve 1 from a hot-water
inflow channel 3c of the faucet body 3, a valve core 20 senses a
pressure difference between the cold water and the hot water and
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
automatically slides so as to balance pressure, and then the cold
water and the hot water flow into the temperature controlling valve
4 to mix together, thereafter central shaft 4b adjusts a mixed ratio of
the cold water and the hot water, and then a mixed water mixed by
the cold water and the hot water downwardly flows back to two
mixing outflow channels 3d of the faucet body 3, thus distributing
the mixed water.
Referring to FIGS. 20-22, the pressure balance valve 1 is
fixed between a mounting groove 3a of the faucet body 3 and the
bottom end of the temperature controlling valve 4, and the receiving
chamber 10 is defined by a housing 101 and a fitting sleeve 102
secured in the housing 101, wherein the housing 101 is formed by
connecting two symmetrical semi-housings 103 together, and the
housing 101 has two pores 15 defined on two sides of a bottom end
thereof relative to an external cold-water inlet 11 and an external
hot-water inlet 12 formed on the fitting sleeve 102. The housing
101 also has an external cold-water outlet 13 and an external
hot-water outlet 14 arranged on two sides of a top end thereof so as
to communicate with an inertial cold-water outlet 222 and an
internal hot-water outlet 232 formed on two mouths of two sides of
the valve core 20. Thereby, the cold water and the hot water flow
into the valve core 20 from the faucet body 3 through the two pores
15, the external cold-water inlet 11, the external hot-water inlet 12,
an internal cold-water inlet 221 and an internal hot-water inlet 231.
The cold water and the hot water flow into the temperature
16
CA 02837915 2013-12-20
controlling valve 4 from the inertial cold-water outlet 222 and the
internal hot-water outlet 232 via the external cold-water outlet 13
and the external hot-water outlet 14, thus mixing the cold water and
the hot water together.
The internal cold-water inlet 221 is comprised of three
second apertures 223 isometrically arranged around the first ring
portion 22; the internal hot-water inlet 231 is comprised of three
first apertures 233 isometrically arranged around the second ring
portion 23.
17
