LIMITER ARRANGEMENT FOR REGULATING MIXED WATER TEMPERATURE IN A SINGLE-GRIP MIXING VALVE

Abstract: Limiting arrangement for controlling the maximum temperature of the mixed water in a single-grip mixing valve. As taught by the invention, the cover (3) of the valve's control unit (2) is provided with arrangements, e.g. pockets (8, 9, 10) or equivalent, to receive a limiter body (7). The number of pockets may be three, for instance, and in that case they may be so placed that when the limiter body (7) has been placed in one of them, the storage pocket (8), the limiter body will not restrict the control, and when the limiter body (7) is accommodated in the second pocket (9) it restricts the temperature control motion by about 25%, and when the limiter body (7) is accommodated in the third pocket (10) it restricts the temperature control motion by about 50%.

Description: LIMITER ARRANGEMENT FOR REGULATING MIXED WATER TEMPERATURE IN A SINGLE-GRIP MIXING VALVE - The present invention concerns a single-grip mixing valve compris¬ ing a valve body with water inlet ports and outlet ports and con¬ trol plates disposed in the body -for controlling the mixing propoi tion o-f cold and warm water. In particular the invention concerns limiting arrangement -for regulating the maximum temperature o-f the mixed water by limiting the turning o-f the operating lever of the mixing valve's control unit. It is known in prior art to limit the turning of the control unit' operating lever. In the design of the Finnish publicizing print No 65659, the turning of the operating lever is limited by means of limiter bodies disposed inside the control unit. However, the solu tion of said reference for limiting the turning requires partial disassembly of the control unit when adjustment is to be done, and this makes the application of the design i convenient. An arrangement serving to limit the motion of the lever is also known through the German Utility Model No. 7 727 623. In this in¬ stance, the lever is rotatably carried in a sleeve having internal toothing and fitting upon a hexagon-shaped body integral with the valve body. This sleeve may be set in different angular positions for changing the mixing proportion. Limiting of the lever's motion has been achieved with the aid of a slit in said sleeve. The lever projects through the slit, while the sides of the slit serve as li iters for the lever. Therefore, the "width" of the range of adjustment is always constant and it is only possible to shift the range in the "hot" or "cold" direction. Through the German Patent No. 2 315 990 a valve i3 known which com¬ prises an encircling body and a rotatable sleeve provided with in¬ tercalating projections which limit the control range. Inside the rotatable sleeve there is a second sleeve in which the control lever is rotatably carried and which is by the aid of toothing fix- able in desired position relative to the rotatable sleeve. Thus it is possible with this arrangement to shift the control range in on or the other direction, but the design does not afford the advant¬ ages attainable by the present invention. Through the German Patent No. 1 258 688 a design is known in which the control range of the mixing valve is limited by inwardly point¬ ing projections on the encircling body and by outwardly pointing projections on the rotatable part, the last-mentioned consisting, one of a screw head and the other of a projection on the sleeve which is fixable in different positions with the aid of a screw. Hereby the control range can be expanded/reduced as of one extreme position thereof. However, the drawback is that the facilities for varying the control range are still limited and, above all, that in the event αf the screw ixing coming loose the sleeve may turn by itself and the control range thus be changed. Also, fixed setting is not possible. The aim is with the aid of the invention to produce a design which enables the mixing to be fixedly set in such manner that adjustment can be carried out without tools and without disassembling the control unit. The single-grip valve of the invention is characterized by the cir¬ cumstances stated in the characteristic features part of claim 1. In the following, the invention and the advantages gainable thereb are more closely described, referring to the figures in the attached drawings, whereof: - Fig. 1 presents the valve of the invention, partly opened; Fig. 2 presents the limiter of the invention in elevational view; Fig. 3 presents the valve of the invention, viewed from above. In the figure of the drawing, the body of the single-grip mixing valve has been indicated with reference numeral 1. On the valve have in conventional way been provided inlet ports for cold and warm water, and a mixed water discharging port. The proportion of cold and warm water is controlled in a manner known in itself in the art, e.g. with the aid of ceramic or equivalent plates. All parts that have been mentioned are in themselves familiar to a person skilled in the art, both as regards their construction and their function, and therefore they are not more closely described in this connection. In the upper part of the valve has been disposed a control unit 2, the fixed limiters 4,5 on its cover 3 determining the structural maximum motion of the operating lever 6. Desired, fixed mixing proportion is achieved by discplacing a sep¬ arate limiter body 7. In the cover 3 of the control member 2 have been formed pockets 8,9,10 for accommodating the separate limiter body 7. The pockets 8, 9 and 10 have been formed in such a way that when the limiter body resides in the pocket 8, its storage pocket, it does not obstruct the movement of the operating lever 6, while when it is in the pocket 9 it restricts the turning by about 25%, and when in pocket 10, by about 50%. In the control unit 2 has been provided a rotary bearing 11 carry¬ ing the turning lever 6 in its turning motion in the control unit 2 and also transmitting the turning motion to the components inside the control unit 2. In the control unit 2 has furthermore been disposed a support bear¬ ing 12 for the control unit 2, this bearing turning in same propor¬ tion with the operating lever 6 and the rotary bearing 11. On the outer sides of the support bearing 12 have been formed projections 13 to constitute the stop surfaces 14 of the limiters 4,5 to the purpose of defining the maximum turning. The shaft 15 provides the coupling between the operating lever 6, the rotary bearing 11 and the support bearing 12. The shaft 15 serves as turning axis of the operating lever 6 when the valve is being opened or closed. The operation of the valve is controlled with the aid of the oper¬ ating lever 6 in the control unit 2, a handle fixed thereon being used to control the operation of the valve. In Fig. 2 is shown a separate limiter body 7, comprising a lower part 16 shaped to fit into the packet 8,9,10 in the control unit, and an upper part 17 which has been shaped so as to enable the limiter part to be gripped with ease in order to move it to anothe pocket, for achieving the desired mixing proportion. The construction that has been presented represents one advantage¬ ous embodiment of the invention, but the invention may be altered and modified within the scope of the claims in accordance with operating conditions} for instance the number and point of applica tion of the pockets may be varied.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Limiting arrangement for controlling the maximum temperature of the mixed water in a single-grip mixing valve comprising for water temperature control a control unit (2) in which has been provided rotary bearing (11) and a support bearing (12) to turn along with control lever (15), and on the cover of said control unit (2) being provided fixed limiters (4,5) which in cooperation with stop faces (14) of projections (13) formed on the outer sides of the support bearing (12) of the control unit (2) determine the maximum turning of the control lever (16), characterized in that for adjusting the turning of the control lever (15) it carries a limiter body (7), and in the stationary cover (3) have been provided one or several pockets (8,9,10) in which the limiter body (7) can be placed to limit the turning of the control lever (12) owing to the circum¬ stance that the stop surface (14) on the projection (13) of the support bearing (12) meets the limiter body (7) before maximum turning. 2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characte ized in that there are several pockets (8,9,10) and one of them, the storage pocket (8), has been so disposed that when the limiter body (7) is accom¬ modated therein the limiter body (7) will not restrict the temper¬ ature control. 3. Arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the limiter body (7) resides in the first pocket (10) of the cover (3) it restricts the temperature control motion by about 25% and when residing in the second pocket (9), by about 50%. 4. Arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the limiter body (7) consists of a lower part (16) made to fit in a pocket (8,9,10) of the cover (3) and the upper part (17) consti¬ tutes a handle for moving the limiter body (7) without tools from one pocket to another.

Inventors: PENTTI OSMO, PENTTI, OSMO
Applicants: PROMES KY
Application year: 1985
Main classification: F16K11
IPC codes: F16K11, F16K35