SELF-CLOSING VALVE ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A self-closing valve, e.g. for use in a faucet, allows the discharge of water for a predetermined time for each cycle of operation. The valve (12) has a timing means which determines the elapsed time for its operational cycle by filling a chamber (54) of predetermined size with air via an orifice (75). The valve comprises a valve body including a valve housing (17,23) and having an inlet, an outlet and a water passageway (19) between the inlet and outlet; a water valve in the valve body, comprising a stationary valve seat (30) and a displaceable valve member (28) in the water passageway, and a valve actuating member (25) for moving the displaceable valve member (28) so as to open the valve. The valve assembly further includes an air metering means including: a piston (43) reciprocably mounted in the valve housing (17,23) so as to define an air chamber (54), and operably connected with the actuating member (25) in such a way that when the valve is opened the piston moves in the direction of compression; a restoring means (46) for urging the piston in the direction of expansion; a one-way valve means (62,63) to allow air to escape from the air chamber (54); and an orifice (75) for allowing a controlled flow of air back into chamber (54) as the piston (43) returns under the influence of the restoring means (46), thereby to close the valve.

Description: The invention relates to a self-closing valve for sanitary installations and, more particularly, to an improved self-closing valve assembly which will automatically close after a predetermined time has elapsed. Self-closing faucets of the type having a reciprocating handle are known. When the faucet handle is actuated the valve is opened, and when it is released the valve returns gradually to its closed position. One of the advantages of self-closing faucets is that the quantity of water released upon actuation can be proportioned by a one-time adjustment when the assembly is installed so that water conservation is optimized. Self-closing faucets are used primarily in public installations, such as baths, toilets, sanitary facilities in institutional buildings, railroad stations, airports and the like. It is in the interest of water economy and conservation of water use to provide a self-closing valve to pre-select the quantity of water to be discharged. Other types of self-closing valves are universally known, such as pushbutton or lever-actuated fittings for drinking fountains, eye wash fountains, flushing toilets, urinals or the like. Self-closing faucets employ a metering fluid, such as water or oil, that is displaced when the valve is opened and then through a timing means, refills the metering chamber after the elapse of a predetermined period of time. Self-closing valves which use water as metering fluid encounter various disadvantages, such as: clogging due to particles normally entrained in water, corrosion of valve parts due to aggressive water, washout of lubricants used in the moving valve parts, variation in supply pressures and temperatures, and degradation of elastomer components, both natural and synthetic. In addition, self-closing valves which use alternative metering fluids such as oil require a separate storage reservoir to transfer the oil from the metering chamber to the reservoir and return it to the metering chamber to complete the cycle. Any rupture or failure in the system could lead to contamination of the potable water being delivered by the metering faucet. A self-closing valve as defined in the first part of claim 1 is known from US 3376013 which uses air as a metering fluid. The timing mechanism includes an air chamber defined between a housing and a diaphragm piston which can be retracted by a knob to expel air from the chamber. When the knob is released a spring pushes the piston back again and as the chamber expands air refills the chamber gradually via a passage in the housing, this passage including an adjustable orifice. The passage is exposed to the atmosphere. According to the invention as defined by the features of claim 1 there is provided a self-closing valve assembly for a faucet, comprising: a valve body including a valve housing and having an inlet, an outlet and a water passageway between the inlet and outlet; a water valve in the valve body, comprising a stationary valve seat and a displaceable valve member in the water passageway; a valve-actuating member for moving the displaceable valve member so as to open the valve; and an air-metering means including: a piston reciprocably mounted in the valve housing so as to define an air chamber, and operably connected with the actuating member in such a way that when the valve is opened the piston moves in the direction of compression of the chamber; a restoring means for urging the piston in the direction of expansion; a one-way valve means to allow air to escape from the air chamber; and an orifice for allowing a controlled flow of air back into chamber as the piston returns under the influence of the restoring means, thereby to close the valve; characterised in that the air-metering means further includes an air filter assembly, comprising an air intake passageway communicating with the air chamber, the orifice of predetermined diameter and at least one air filter means mounted in the air intake passage, so that particles entrained in the intake air are removed, to prevent clogging of the orifice. Valves according to the invention thus advantageously have an air-metering assembly which includes anti-clogging means so that the volume of water discharged from the self-closing valve remains substantially the same after each use. Embodiments of the present invention can moreover provide a self-closing valve having an accurate metering assembly to regulate the volume of water discharged over a predetermined period of elapsed time, which is simple and economical to manufacture, which includes means readily to vary the metering time and thereby vary the volume of water discharged, and which is interchangeable with standardized fittings that are in present use. The volume of air displaced from the air chamber is metered over a predetermined elapsed period of time as the piston and reciprocating valve stem automatically return to their closed position. The valve actuating member may be a reciprocating valve stem axially displaceable valve seat mounted on one end so that when the valve stem is shifted from its closed to its opened position, the displaceable valve seat is shifted away from the stationary valve seat. The air-metering means may be operably coupled to the valve stem, e.g. by being fixed to the piston on the side away from the valve stem, so that the faucet handle displaces the stem via the air-metering means. FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a self-closing faucet, in accordance with the invention herein; FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 as seen from the right side, the left side being a mirror image thereof; FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a sectional view, in elevation, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, illustrating the self-closing faucet of FIG. 1 in its closed position; FIG. 4A is an enlarged sectional view, in elevation, of the one-way valve means of FIG. 4; FIGS. 5, 6 and 7A are views, in elevation, of the self-closing faucet of FIG. 1 in the sequence of being shifted to its opened and closed positions; FIG. 7B is an enlarged fragmentary view of the anti-clogging assembly of the air metering means; FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views taken along lines 8-8 and 9-9 of FIG. 4 respectively; FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a centerset mixing valve, having hot and cold water mixing valves, shown in FIG. 1; and FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of a mixing valve of the spread type, having hot and cold water self-closing valves; shown in FIG. 1. Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1-9 show one form of the invention, a faucet 10 having a self-closing assembly 12 for either hot or cold water, and FIGS. 10 and 11 show mixing valves of the center set and spread set types, 10′, 10″, respectively, which house self-closing valve assemblies 12, of the type shown in FIGS. 4-9, to control both hot and cold water use. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a self-closing faucet 10 which is adapted to be connected to either the hot or cold water feed conduits, not shown. Faucet 10 includes a handle 14, self-closing valve assembly 12, shown in detail in FIGS. 4-9, spout 18 and an aerator assembly 20. Self-closing valve assembly 12 includes upper housing 17 which has operably mounted therein timing assembly 40 and lower housing 23 which has valve means 24 axially mounted therein and reciprocates between closed position, FIG. 4, and opened position, FIG. 6. O-ring 84, located in groove 85 of lower housing 23, forms an airtight seal between upper housing 17 and lower housing 23. Valve means 24 includes a valve-actuating member in the form of an elongate stem 25 which is positioned in axial bores 22, 38 and boss 48 of lower housing 23. O-ring 27 is positioned in bore 26, and forms a seal to prevent water passing into air metering chamber 54. Cap 28, the displaceable valve member, is mounted to lower end 29 of valve stem 25. Elastomeric member (stationary valve seat) 30, a flat resilient washer, and metal washer 34 are mounted in recess 32 of lower housing 23. Stem 25 passes through axial bore 31′, 31 of resilient washer 30 and metal washer 34 respectively. When self-closing valve assembly 12 is in its closed position, cap 28 seats against resilient washer 30 to prevent water flow through water discharge passage 19 and spout 18, shown in FIG. 4. Upper end 45 of valve stem 25 enters into axial passage 44 of timing assembly 40. Spring (restoring means) 46 is telescopically or compressibly positioned on valve stem 25; its lower end 47 is seated over boss 48 which is threaded into lower housing 23. Spring keeper assembly 50 includes a washer 51 which seats against upper end 49 of spring 46 and is held in place by retaining clip 52, which is locked in place on valve stem 25 by a complementary groove formed around end 45 of valve stem 25. Timing assembly 40, shown in detail in FIG. 7B, includes air filter assembly 59, a cylindrical cartridge, having an enlarged radially extending outer wall section 82 on its periphery which fits into a complementary recess 83 of hollow, cylindrical member 67. Member 67 is threadedly coupled in complementary threaded opening 53 of piston disc 43. Circumferential groove 41 formed in disc 43 contains O-ring 39, which forms an airtight seal between disc 43 and upper housing 17. Filter assembly 59, preferably a molded plastics material, is in the form of a hollow tube 86; its upper end 55 is closed to provide a flat outer surface which forms camming surface 56. Ports 68, positioned adjacent to camming surface 56, are provided to permit atmospheric air to enter into chamber 69 of filter assembly 59. A first air filter 58, which may be in the form of a porous plastics material, is pressed into air chamber 69. Orifice assembly 72 includes a tube or sleeve 76 and a jeweled member 73, e.g. a ruby, which is mounted at one end thereof. Jeweled member 73 is formed with an orifice 75 which permits a predetermined flow of air which, with air chamber 54, defining a predetermined volume, determines a set time of operation. It has been found that for the type of self-closing faucet described and shown herein, orifice 75 is sized to permit a flow rate of about 0.6 cc of air per second. Air metering chamber 54 of valve 12 has an air volume of about 8.5 cc. Therefore, a complete operational cycle of faucet 10 is about 14 seconds. Also, air filters 58,74 have a pore size smaller than the diameter of orifice 75 to prevent its clogging from entrained particles carried by the intake air. The operational cycle may be reduced by raising adjusting screw 78, shown in FIG. 4, which limits the volume of air which can be displaced from chamber 54 when handle 14 is depressed, by limiting the lowermost position of the handle 54 (see Fig. 6), thus shortening the operational cycle. A second air filter 74 is pressed into chamber 69 of filter cartridge 59 to prevent any foreign matter, such as valve lubricants, expelled from metering chamber 54 from entering orifice 75. Extending from ports 68 are vertical channels 79 which form a cavity between filter assembly 59 and the inner wall of cylindrical member 67. These cavities act as receptacles for entrained particles that are removed from the air before entering chamber 69. An annular recess 64 is formed on filter assembly 59 below elongated channels 79 and houses O-ring 65 to provide an airtight seal. One-way valve means 60 is most clearly illustrated in FIG. 4A. The lower housing 23 is formed having a circumferential groove 61 which is connected to metering chamber 54 through one or more passages 63. An O-ring 62 is seated in groove 61 and covers the outlet opening 70 of passages 63. The width of groove 61 is larger than the diameter of the cross-section of the 0-ring 62. To ensure a positive seal of passage openings 70, "V"-shaped recess 36 is formed in both the base of groove 61 and outlet openings 70 of passages 63. The low pressure difference that exists between passage 63 and atmospheric chamber 81 during the closing cycle of valve 10, shown in FIG. 7A, seats O-ring 62 over openings 70 of passages 63. In FIGS. 4-7, faucet 10 is shown in its various modes of operation. The following is a description of a typical operation cycle. Faucet 10 is opened when handle 14 is pressed in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5. Cam 15 is integrally formed with handle 14 and partially rolls along on camming surface 56 of air filter assembly 59 of timing assembly 40. Piston disc 43 compresses the air in metering chamber 54 as it travels downward along inner surface 16 of upper housing 17. The compressed air forces one-way valve means 62,63, comprising O-ring 62, to unseat from groove 61, allowing air to flow through openings 70 of passages 63 and past O-ring 62, through passage 80 into atmospheric chamber 81, as shown in FIG. 5. At the same time, valve means 24 opens to allow water to flow through discharge passage 19 when timing assembly 40 shifts axial valve stem 25 and compresses spring 46, see FIGS. 5 and 6. When handle 14 is released, spring 46 is released and pushes against spring keeper assembly 50, forcing valve stem 25 and timing assembly 40 upward, forming a vacuum in metering chamber 54, see FIG. 7A. A differential pressure forms across disc 43 equal to the difference between the higher, atmospheric pressure located in atmospheric chamber 66 and the lower, vacuum pressure present in metering chamber 54, and provides a positive seal of one-way valve means 60. The force provided by the differential pressure acts on timing assembly 40 to counterbalance the force of spring 46 in its movements towards its rest position in FIG. 4. Because of the vacuum pressure present in metering chamber 54 and the movement of timing assembly 40 toward its rest position, air flows through timing assembly 40 into metering chamber 54. As shown in FIG. 7B, air enters timing assembly 40 through ports 68 into chamber 69 and through filter 58 into air chamber 71. Orifice assembly 72 has a small port or orifice 75 sized to control the flow of air through timing assembly 40. After passing through orifice 75, the air enters chamber 77 and flows through filter 74 into chamber (passage) 44, past spring keeper assembly 50 and into air metering chamber 54, see FIG. 7A. Filters 58 and 74 keep foreign matter entrained in the air from entering chambers 71 and 77 to prevent possible clogging of timing orifice 75. As the incoming air enters air chamber 54 under the differential pressure across timing assembly 40, the piston disc 43 and stem 25 shift towards the rest or closed position under the force of the spring 46. The closing cycle of valve 12 continues, there being all the while a substantially constant flow of water through the valve outlet 19, until stem end cap 28 and resilient washer 30 touch, closing valve 24, stopping the flow of water and completing the valve cycle, FIG. 4. When valve 12 reaches its closed position, FIG. 4, the pressure in air chamber 54 is equal to the pressure in chamber 66, i.e. atmospheric pressure. It is obvious that the self-closing valve assembly, as described hereinabove, can be modified to be incorporated in drinking fountains, eye wash fountains, flushing toilets, urinals or the like. Whilst air is referred to above as the metering fluid, it is conceivable that another gas could be used.

Claims: A self-closing valve assembly for a faucet, comprising: a valve body including a valve housing (17,23) and having an inlet, an outlet and a water passageway (19) between the inlet and outlet; a water valve in the valve body, comprising a stationary valve seat (30) and a displaceable valve member (28) in the water passageway; a valve-actuating member (25) for moving the displaceable valve member (28) so as to open the valve; and an air-metering means including: a piston (43) reciprocably mounted in the valve housing (17,23) so as to define an air chamber (54), and operably connected with the actuating member (25) in such a way that when the valve is opened the piston moves in the direction of compression of the chamber; a restoring means (46) for urging the piston in the direction of expansion; a one-way valve means (62,63) to allow air to escape from the air chamber (54); and an orifice (75) for allowing a controlled flow of air back into air chamber (54) as the piston (43) returns under the influence of the restoring means (46), thereby to close the valve; characterised in that the air-metering means further includes an air filter assembly (59), comprising an air intake passageway (68,69,71,77,44) communicating with the air chamber (54), the orifice (75) of predetermined diameter and at least one air filter means (58) mounted in the air intake passage, so that particles entrained in the intake air are removed, to prevent clogging of the orifice (75). A self-closing valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein the valve-actuating member comprises a stem (25) connected to the displaceable valve member (28) at one end (29) and abutting the piston (43) at the other end (45). A self-closing valve assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the piston (43) is on the side of the air chamber (54) remote from the valve and the air filter assembly is coupled to the piston (43). A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein a second air filter means (74) is mounted in the air intake passage between the air chamber (54) and the orifice (75). A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each air filter means (58,74) is made of a porous plastics material having a pore size smaller than the orifice (75). A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim and having a handle (14), wherein the air filter assembly (59) is fixed to the piston (43) between the handle (14) and the valve-actuating member (25). A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the orifice (75) is formed in a substantially flat disc and has a diameter sized to provide a predetermined constant flow rate of air into the air chamber (54). A self-closing valve assembly according to claim 7, wherein the said constant flow rate is about 0.6 cc. per second and the air chamber (54) has a volume of about 8.5 cc. A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the one-way valve means comprises an elastomeric O-ring (62) lying in an external circumferential groove (61) in a part (23) of the valve housing enclosing the air chamber (54), the groove (61) being interconnected with the said air chamber (54) by at least one, preferably two, air passages (63). A self-closing valve assembly according to claim 9, wherein the said circumferential groove (61) further includes a circumferential recess (36) in its base to provide an air-tight seal between the or each air passage (63) and the groove (61). A self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim and including a timing-adjusting means (78) to limit the volume of air discharged from the air chamber (54) when the valve-actuating member (25) is operated. A self-closing valve assembly according to claim 11 when dependent on claim 6, wherein the said timing-adjusting means includes an adjusting screw threadedly engaged on the valve housing to limit the displacement of the handle (14), thus limiting the movement of the valve-actuating member (25) when the faucet (10) is shifted to its opened position, thereby varying the total volume of water discharge for a complete cycle. A faucet comprising a self-closing valve assembly according to any preceding claim.

Inventors: HART, THOMAS G., MEISNER, DAVID J., NICKERSON, EARL W., OHAUS, KARL G.
Applicants: AMERICAN STANDARD INC. (A DELAWARE CORPORATION)
Application year: 1989
Main classification: F16K21
IPC codes: F16K21