Abstract:
A water mixer of the present invention is adapted to be installed in a faucet. The water mixer has a balance unit and a mixing element, and the water mixer can be connected to two water sources. When the pressure of one water source varies rapidly, the balance element can modulate the effect that may influence the flow rate of each water source. The mixing element is, on the other hand, adapted to mix the two water flows. As such, the faucet provided with the water mixer of the present invention can stabilize the temperature of the mixed water outlet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a water mixer, and more particularly to a water mixer installed in a faucet to control the mixing of two water flows. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    A conventional faucet may be provided with a mixing property to mix two water flows, e.g. a hot water flow and a cold water flow. However, the temperature of the mixed water sometimes changes suddenly when the water pressure of one of the water sources drops. Thus the conventional faucet is a potential threat to the user in that the user may be scalded. 
         [0005]    The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above mentioned disadvantages. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The main object of the present invention is to provide a water mixer that can balance the flow rate of two water flows. 
         [0007]    To achieve the above and other objects, a water mixer of the present invention includes a shell, a balance element, a mixing element and an adjusting element. The shell has a transversal plate, which has a first surface and a second surface. A first chamber is defined between the first surface and the shell. A second chamber and a third chamber is defined between the second surface and the shell. The transversal plate is formed with a first passage and a second passage, both of which communicate the first chamber with the second chamber. The third chamber is isolated from the second chamber, and the third chamber is communicated with the first chamber. The balance element includes a first tube unit, a second tube unit and a pressure balancer. The tube units are disposed in the second chamber. The first tube unit has a through hole communicated with the first passage, and the second tube unit has a through hole communicated with the second passage. Each tube unit has a lateral bore communicated with its through hole. The lateral bores of the tube units face each other. A receiving space is defined between the lateral bores. The pressure balancer is movably disposed in the receiving space. The mixing element is disposed in the first chamber. The mixing element is adapted to regulate water to enter the first chamber via the first and second passages and to regulate the water in the first chamber to flow to the third chamber. The adjusting element connects to the mixing element. The adjusting element is adapted to control a movement of the mixing element so as to further adjust a mixing ratio of a flow rate in the first passage to a flow rate in the second passage. 
         [0008]    The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing showing a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a partial breakdown drawing showing a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a breakdown drawing showing a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3A  is a top view showing a shell in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective drawing showing a shell in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3C  is a perspective drawing showing a tube unit of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a profile showing a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a top view showing a status of a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a top view showing another status of a water mixer in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a breakdown drawing showing a water mixer in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 . A water mixer of the present invention is adapted to be installed in a faucet, and the water mixer includes a shell  1 , a balance element  2 , a mixing element  3  and an adjusting element  4 . 
         [0020]    The shell  1  may be an integral-formed cylindrical body. Please refer to  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B . The shell  1  has transversal plate  11  which is perpendicular to the axial direction of the shell  1 . The shell has a first surface and a second surface. A first chamber  12  is defined between the first surface and the shell  1 . A second chamber  13  and a third chamber  14  are defined between the second surface and the shell  1 , in which the third chamber  14  is isolated from the second chamber  13 . The transversal plate  11  is formed with a first passage  111  and a second passage  112 , both of which communicate the first chamber  12  with the second chamber  13 . Two annular rims  113  are axially extended from the first surface of the transversal plate  11 , and the annular rims  113  surround one of the first and second passages  111  and  112  respectively. In addition, the third chamber  14  is communicated with the first chamber  12  via a channel formed on the transversal plate  11 . 
         [0021]    Please refer to  FIG. 3 . The balance element  2  includes two tube units  21  and a pressure balancer  22 . The tube units  21  are disposed in the second chamber  13  and abut against the shell  1  at their outer surfaces. Each tube unit  21  has a through hole  211  communicated with one of the passages  111  and  112 . Each tube unit  21  further has a lateral bore  212  communicated with its through hole  211 . The lateral bores  212  of the tube units  21  face each other, and a receiving space is defined between the lateral bores  212  for the pressure balancer  22  to movably dispose therein. Specifically, the two tube units  21  abut against each other. Gaskets  213  can be provided between the tube units  21  and the transversal plate  11 . Please refer to  FIG. 3C . Two blocking plates  214  are disposed in each of the through holes  211  of the tube units  21 . The tube units  21  further has several intensifying plates  215 , each of which connects one of the blocking plates  214  with its corresponding tube unit  21 . The intensifying plates  215  are arranged parallel to an orientation of the through hole  211 . More specifically, each intensifying plate  215  has a surface, which has a normal direction. And the orientation of the through hole is perpendicular to the normal direction. Please refer to  FIG. 3  again. The pressure balancer  2  isolates the two through holes  211  from each other. The pressure balancer  2  includes a sleeve and a movable rod  221  that is movable in the sleeve. The movable rod  221  can be pushed corresponding to the water pressure in the through holes  211 . As such, the area of the cross-section of the through holes  211  can be adjusted to balance the flow rate therein. 
         [0022]    The mixing element  3  is disposed in the first chamber  12 , and the mixing element  3  is adapted to regulate water to enter the first chamber  12  via the first and second passages  111  and  112  and to regulate the water in the first chamber  12  to flow to the third chamber  14 . More specifically, the mixing element  3  includes two sealing gaskets  31 , a throttle disc  32  and two resilient members  33 . The sealing gaskets  31  abut against the transversal plate  11  respectively, and each sealing gasket  31  defines a through bore  311  communicated with one of the first and second passages  111  and  112 . Please refer to  FIG. 4 , the sealing gaskets  31  are preferably tightly surrounded by the annular rims  113  respectively. The throttle disc  32  abuts against the sealing gaskets  31 , and the throttle disc  32  is formed with a first slot  321  and a second slot  322 . The resilient members  33  abut against the transversal plate  11  and the gaskets  31  respectively, so as to push the gaskets  31  to abut against the throttle disc  32  tightly. 
         [0023]    Please refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . The adjusting element  4  connects to the mixing element  3 , and the adjusting element  4  is adapted to control a movement of the mixing element  3  so as to further adjust a mixing ratio of a flow rate in the first passage  111  to a flow rate in the second passage  112 . Specifically, the adjusting element  4  and the throttle disc  32  are in a rotational operative relationship, so that the first and second slots  321  and  322  are controlled to selectively communicate the through bores  311  with the first chamber  12  respectively. More specifically, several protrusions  32  may be extended from the throttle disc  32  toward the adjusting element  4 , while the adjusting element  4  may be correspondingly formed with several grooves  41  to engage with the protrusions  32 . As such, the adjusting element  4  and the throttle disc  32  are in a rotational operative relationship, and the throttle disc  32  is rotated when the adjusting element  4  is turned. 
         [0024]    Please refer to  FIG. 4 . The through holes  211 , the passages  111  and  112  and the through bores  311  define two inlet conduits which connects to two water sources respectively. Please refer to  FIG. 5 . The slots  322  communicate with the through bores  311  respectively, so that the water in the water source can be conducted into the first chamber  12  and then be evacuated via the third chamber  13 . The mixing ratio is controlled when the adjusting element  4  is turned. Or, as shown in  FIG. 6 , one of the through bores  311  is blocked when the throttle disc  32  is further rotated. As such, the water in the first chamber  12  is totally provided by a single water source. 
         [0025]    Please refer to  FIG. 7  for another embodiment of the present invention. The mixing element  3  may includes a communicating disc  34  and a throttle disc  32 . The communicating disc  34  is disposed in the first chamber  12  and abuts against the transversal plate  11 , and the communicating disc  34  is formed with a first through bore  341 , a second through bore  342  and a third through bore  343 . A gasket  35  may be further provided between the communicating disc  34  and the transversal plate  11 . The first through bore  341  is communicated with the first passage  111 , the second through bore  342  is communicated with the second passage  112 , and the third through bore  343  is communicated with the third chamber  14 . The throttle disc  32  rotatably abuts against the communicating disc  34 , and both discs  32  and  34  can be made of ceramics. The throttle disc  32  is formed with a mixing bore  324  which is communicated with the third through bore  343  all the time. And when the throttle disc  32  is rotated with respect to the communicating disc  34 , the mixing bore  324  is selectively communicated with the first and second through bores  341  and  342 . 
         [0026]    The adjusting element  4  may include an engaging disc  42 , a positioning ring  43 , a rotational body  44  and a swayable rod  45 . The engaging disc  42  engages with the throttle disc  32  in an operative relationship, and the engaging disc  42  is further formed with a socket  421 . The positioning ring  43  is fixedly installed on the shell  1 . The rotational body  44  is rotatably disposed in the positioning ring  43 . The swayable rod  45  is pivoted to the rotational body  44 . A lower end of the swayable rod  45  is formed with a plug  451  to plug in the sockets  421 . As such, the swayable rod  45  can be swayed, and the engaging disc  42  and the throttle disc  32  are both driven to move linearly. Or, the swayable  45  can also be rotated. Thus the rotational body  44 , the engaging disc  42  and the throttle disc  32  can all be driven to rotate.