Abstract:
The present invention relates to a three-in-one valve comprising an inlet shutoff valve for shutting off flow to an inlet of the valve, an outlet shutoff valve for shutting off flow into an outlet of the valve and a control valve for opening and closing the valve. During operation, the control valve can be opened and closed while the inlet shut off valve and outlet shut off valve are in an open position. The inlet shutoff valve and outlet shutoff can be closed for preventing flow into the control valve, thereby allowing the control valve to be serviced without draining of an attached fluid system, such as a radiator. In one embodiment, the three-in-one valve can be used to provide individual zone control for an individual radiator in a multi-radiator and boiler recirculating system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a three-in-one valve in which a single valve includes three independently controlled valve portions to close various aspects of the valve. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Typical heating systems include a central valve for controlling a flow to plurality of radiators. A thermostat is used to regulate control of the control valve. Accordingly, all radiators are shut down and air is bled upon closing of the control valve. 
         [0005]    It is desirable to provide an individually controlled valve to allow a single fluid source, such as a radiator, to be controlled upon control of the valve. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]    The present invention relates to a three-in-one valve comprising an inlet shutoff valve for shutting off flow to an inlet of the valve, an outlet shutoff valve for shutting off flow into an outlet of the valve and a control valve for opening and closing the valve. During operation, the control valve can be opened and closed while the inlet shut off valve and outlet shut off valve are in an open position. The inlet shutoff valve and outlet shutoff can be closed for preventing flow into the control valve, thereby allowing the control valve to be serviced without draining of an attached fluid system, such as a radiator. In one embodiment, the three-in-one valve can be used to provide individual zone control for an individual radiator in a multi-radiator and boiler recirculating system. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, the inlet shutoff valve comprises a plug and cap. The plug being fitted within the inlet and the cap being fitted over the plug. The plug can be turned by a shutoff screw for moving the plug with the inlet to close the inlet. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, the outlet shutoff valve is a butterfly valve for preventing back flow from the outlet into the valve. The butterfly valve comprises a rotatable butterfly disc for closing or opening the outlet. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, the control valve comprises a diaphragm valve. The diaphragm valve includes a diaphragm within a body cap and a valve body portion. A bi-stable solenoid is attached to move a plunger adjacent the diaphragm upwards or downwards for opening and closing the control valve. 
         [0010]    A remote controlled system can be associated with the three-in-one valve for remotely controlling the control valve. 
         [0011]    The invention will be more fully described by reference to the following drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a three-in-one valve in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of the valve. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3A  is an end view of an end cap. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3B  is a side elevational view of the end cap. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4A  is an end view of an inlet shutoff screw. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4B  is a side elevational view of the inlet shutoff screw. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5A  is a plan view of a butterfly disc. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5B  is an edge view of the butterfly disc. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6A  is a plan view of a butterfly axle. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6B  is a side view of the butterfly axle. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7A  is a plan view of a butterfly screw. 
           [0023]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of the butterfly screw. 
           [0024]      FIG. 8A  is a plan view of a butterfly O-seal. 
           [0025]      FIG. 8B  is a side view of the butterfly O-seal. 
           [0026]      FIG. 9A  is a schematic diagram of a top portion of a body cap. 
           [0027]      FIG. 9B  is a schematic diagram of a bottom portion of the body cap. 
           [0028]      FIG. 10A  is a plan view of the bottom portion of the body cap. 
           [0029]      FIG. 10B  is a sectional view of the body cap shown in  FIG. 10A . 
           [0030]      FIG. 10C  is a side view of the body cap. 
           [0031]      FIG. 11  is a schematic perspective view of the valve including the control valve. 
           [0032]      FIG. 12A  is a schematic view of the valve body including a lower chamber. 
           [0033]      FIG. 12B  is a cross-sectional view of the valve body of  FIG. 12A . 
           [0034]      FIG. 12C  is a top plan view of the lower chamber of the valve body. 
           [0035]      FIG. 12D  is a bottom plan view of the valve body. 
           [0036]      FIG. 13A  is a top plan view of the valve body. 
           [0037]      FIG. 13B  is a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 13A . 
           [0038]      FIG. 13C  is a sectional view taken along line B-B of  FIG. 13A . 
           [0039]      FIG. 13D  is a sectional view taken along line C-C of  FIG. 13A . 
           [0040]      FIG. 13E  is a sectional view of the valve body. 
           [0041]      FIG. 13F  is a sectional view taken along line D-D of  FIG. 13E . 
           [0042]      FIG. 14  is a schematic view of operation of an open inlet shutoff valve and an open outlet shutoff valve. 
           [0043]      FIG. 15  is a schematic view of operation of a closed inlet shutoff valve and closed outlet shutoff valve. 
           [0044]      FIG. 16  is a schematic view of operation of an open control valve. 
           [0045]      FIG. 17  is a schematic diagram of a control system for use with the valve of the present invention. 
           [0046]      FIG. 18  is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a panel to be used with the control system of the present invention. 
           [0047]      FIG. 19A  illustrates use of the three-in-one valve coupled to a radiator. 
           [0048]      FIG. 19B  illustrates use of the three-in-one valve at an inlet to a radiator. 
           [0049]      FIG. 19C  illustrates use of the three-in-one valve at outlets of a boiler manifold. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0050]    Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0051]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of three-in-one valve  10  in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Valve  10  includes inlet shutoff valve  12 , outlet shutoff valve  30  and control valve  40 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . As described below, inlet shutoff valve  12 , outlet shutoff valve  30  and control valve  40  can be individually controlled to allow any one of the valves to be shut down. 
         [0052]    In one embodiment, inlet shutoff valve  12  includes plug  13  and end cap  14 . Plug  13  is fitted within end  14  of inlet  15 . End cap  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 3A-3B , is adjacent plug  13  in an open position of inlet valve  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . End cap  14  prevents leakage of fluid from inlet  15 . Plug  13  includes body  17  and cavity  19 . Body  17  can include  0 -ring  18 . Inlet shutoff screw  20  is received in cavity  19 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Shutoff screw  20  can be used for screwing plug  13  within inlet  15  to close inlet  15 . 
         [0053]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , outlet shutoff valve  30  is fitted within end  31  of outlet  32 . In one embodiment, outlet shutoff valve  30  is a butterfly valve. Outlet shutoff valve  30  includes outlet shutoff butterfly disc  33 , butterfly axle  34 , butterfly screw  35  and butterfly O-seal  36 , as shown in  FIGS. 4-8 . Butterfly screw  35  connects butterfly disc  33  to butterfly axle  34 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Butterfly O-seal  36  seals between butterfly screw  35  and butterfly axle  34 . Butterfly screw  35  can be adjusted within outlet  32  to close outlet  32  and prevent back flow into valve  10 . 
         [0054]    Referring to  FIGS. 9-13 , control valve  40  is fitted between end  41  of inlet  15  and end  42  of outlet  32 . Inlet  15  and outlet  32  can be integral with valve body  45 . Control valve  40  includes body cap  44  and valve body  45 . Body cap  44  includes central opening  46  and one or more openings  47 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . One or more openings  47  receive respective coupling members  48  for coupling body cap  44  to valve body  45 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . One or more notches  49  are formed in ring  50  around central opening  46 . 
         [0055]    Upper surface  51  of valve body  45  includes funneled portion  52  adjacent central opening  53 . Central opening  53  is aligned with central opening  46 . Funneled portion  52  slopes downwardly to aid flow of fluid to central opening  53 . Funneled portion  52  can have an elliptical shape. 
         [0056]    Diaphragm  55  is positioned between body cap  44  and valve body  45 . Diaphragm  55  divides the area between body cap  44  and valve body  45  into upper chamber  56  and lower chamber  57 . Plunger  58  is raised and lowered by bi-stable solenoid  59  to raise and lower diaphragm  55  between an open position allowing flow through control valve  40  and a closed position shutting off flow through control valve  40 . For example, bi-stable solenoid  59  can lift plunger  58  to open control valve  40  in a first polarization and thereafter the polarization is reversed to allow the plunger to drop and close control valve  40 . 
         [0057]    Diaphragm  55  includes an aperture  60 . Aperture  60  allows fluid to flow between lower chamber  57  and upper chamber  56  for equalizing pressure between lower chamber  57  and upper chamber  56 . 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIG. 14 , during operation of valve  10  in a fully open position shutoff screw  20  is open to allow flow in the direction of arrow D 1  from inlet  15  past plug  13 . Butterfly valve  30  is rotated to place butterfly disc  33  in a substantially horizontal position to allow flow in the direction of arrow D 2  past butterfly disc  33 . 
         [0059]    Referring to  FIG. 15 , during operation of valve  10  in a fully closed position, shutoff screw  20  is closed to move plug  13  into inlet  15  in the direction of arrow D 3 . Butterfly valve  30  is rotated to place butterfly disc  33  in a substantially diagonal position or vertical position to contact edge  59  of outlet  32  to stop flow in the direction of arrow D 4  and prevent backflow in the direction of arrow D 5  into outlet  32 . In the closed position, body cap  44 , diaphragm  55  and plunger  58  can be removed from valve  10  for servicing. 
         [0060]    Referring to  FIG. 16 , during operation of control valve  40  in an open position, flow enters lower chamber  57  of control valve  40  and proceeds through central opening  46  to outlet  32 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 17  is a schematic diagram of valve control system  100 . Valve controller  102  is coupled to body cap  44 . Valve controller  102  can be a solar powered device. Valve controller  102  comprises electronic devices including solar panel  103 , battery pack  104 , such as, 1.8 volt, addressable transceiver module  105 , such as 433.9 Mhz, single chip microcomputer  106 , high efficiency voltage regulator  107 , such as 3.3 volt, switch mode power supply  108 . Valve controller  102  controls bi-stable solenoid  59 . 
         [0062]    Valve controller  102  operates by requesting the status of control valve  40  on a regular basis from main control unit  110 . Valve controller  102  can operate by switching from an extreme low power state to powered state at a specific time, for example, approximately every five minutes. When in the powered states, the single chip micro computer  106  sends a request to main unit  110  for the state of control valve  40  across transceiver module  105 . Main unit  110  responds with the required status of control valve  40 , if control valve  40  is not in the required state, single chip microcomputer  106  switches on the switched mode power supply  108  to operate a valve coil to change the state of solenoid  59  to the required state resulting in control valve opening or closing as requested. After this operation, valve controller  102  acknowledges the operation by sending the current room temperature back to main control unit  110  for display. When the operation is complete, single chip microcomputer  106  switches off transceiver module  105  and switched mode power supply  108  to minimize the supply current from battery pack  104 . During this off period, the supply current is extremely low and allows battery pack  104  to be recharged by ambient light in the room using solar panel  103 . Solenoid  59  being of the bi-stable type allows control valve  40  to remain in the open or closed state without requiring any battery current. As each valve controller  102  is assigned a unique address, each valve state can be controlled individually. All valve control is done without wires using low power radio frequency remote control. All functionality of the valve control is done using a programmable processor that is programmed to conserve as much energy as possible. 
         [0063]    Main control unit  110  comprises components including main power supply unit  112 , liquid crystal display  114 , embedded (PC)  116 , addressable transceiver module  118 , such as 433.9 Mhz, control buttons  119 , and GSM module  120 . Main control unit  110  contains embedded (PC)  116  that communicates wirelessly to all control valve  40  transceiver module  105 . Main control unit  110  is capable of controlling the heating system with features such as independent on/off control of each room radiator; independent day of week and time control for each room radiator; remote operation and programming of heating system; and remote operation of room control valves. Panel  134  can be associated main control unit  110 , as shown in  FIG. 18 . 
         [0064]    Control valve  40  can be controlled remotely with remote controller  130 . Remote controller  130  can be a mobile phone and/or computer. Panel  134  can be associated with remote controller  130 , as shown in  FIG. 18 . Pulse system accessed by panel  134  allows the user to maintain whatever temperature is desired on each individual radiator. 
         [0065]    Remote controller  130  operating from a mobile phone can activate as part of the valve control system a program that can allow the user to control the heating system using a smart messaging system (SMS). The user selects a number of settings such as heating system immediately on/off; timed switch on; on duration; and selection of rooms to heat or not. On selecting the send command button, the program sends the request to main control unit  110  to process the required actions, when main control unit  110  has processed the required actions, main control unit  110  response by sending to remote controller  130 , mobile phone, the current temperature of each room and the heating system status. 
         [0066]      FIG. 19A  illustrates use of three-in-one valve  10  coupled to radiator  200 .  FIG. 19B  illustrates use of three-in-one valve  10  coupled to inlet line  310  to radiator  200 .  FIG. 19C  illustrates use of three-in-one valve  10  at outlets  410  of boiler manifold  412 . 
         [0067]    In general, the valve and control system of the present invention is a very versatile system. It is capable of various methods of controlling a heating system within a building, it requires no installation or wires to each valve minimizing installation and maintenance costs. The valve and control system of the present invention is capable of saving considerable amounts of heating energy by isolating rooms individually on a timed basis when not in use. The valve and control system of the present invention also provides a method to remotely control the heating system from a mobile phone. 
         [0068]    It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments, which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.