Abstract:
A diverter valve includes a fixed body ( 11 ) with a central inlet connection ( 12 ) and several outlet ducts ( 17 ) circumferentially spaced about the inlet connection. A rotatable valve member ( 21 ) has a center inlet duct ( 25 ) in fluid connection with a radially spaced outlet ( 27 ) that can be rotatably moved to be aligned with a selected outlet ducts ( 17 ) or misaligned to be in a shut off position. The inlet connection ( 12 ) and outlet ( 27 ) house sealing elements that provide sealing against leakage for the respective ducts.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a multi-way shut-off or diverter valve, comprising a fixed body that has an inlet connection and at least one outlet connection one or the other of which is connected to the inlet connection. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Shut-off and diverter valves are commonly inserted between a flow control device, for example, a mixing faucet or a thermostatic valve, and two or more units that can be supplied under the control of the device. For example, a device of this kind can make it possible to supply, as desired, the tap of a bathtub, a handheld shower head, a shower with a fixed head, and possibly some other hydraulic delivery unit. Often these types of valves have a driven mobile valve element rotatable about an axis to bring about the desired fluid connection between the inlet connection and a selected one of the outlet connections. 
     A diverter valve of this kind can easily be made by using small plates made from hard material, such as ceramics or structural plastics. However, many common designs demand that these thin plates assume a relatively considerable diameter. The enlarged diameter of the valve in addition to being expensive contribute give rise to excessive wear and tear that often interferes with the operation of the valve. 
     What is needed is a valve of the type indicated which will not have any great degree of wear or tear and which will therefore be easily operated. What is also needed is to have a diverter valve that can be easily manufactured on an industrial scale and be relatively economical. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a valve device is operably interposable between a flow control device and at least one fluid delivery unit that can be supplied under the control of the valve device. The valve device includes a fixed body with an inner facing surface and a rotatable valve member. The fixed body has a respective facing surface that has an inlet connection and at least one outlet connection radially spaced from said inlet connection. Preferably, the fixed body has at least two outlets at its inner facing surface both being equally spaced from the inlet in the fixed body. 
     The rotatable valve member has a respective facing surface that is rotatable about a common axis with the inlet connection. The rotatable valve member is movable to selectively open and close fluid connection between the inlet connection of the fixed body and one of the outlet connections of said fixed body member. 
     Either the fixed body or rotatable valve member houses a first sealing member sealingly biased against the facing surface of the other of the fixed body or rotatable valve member. Preferably, the first sealing member is seated in the fixed body and sealingly biased against the facing surface of the rotatable member about the inlet opening. Alternatively,the first sealing member is seated in the fixed body and sealingly biased against the surface of the rotatable member about the inlet opening. 
     The rotatable member has an internal conveyance duct that has an inlet opening on its surface co-aligned with the inlet connection in the fixed body and the axis of rotation. The internal conveyance duct has an outlet radially spaced the same distance from the inlet of the rotatable member as the at least one outlet in the fixed member is spaced from its respective inlet connection. 
     A respective second sealing member is seated either in one of the outlets in said fixed body or the outlet in the rotatable member and is biased against a surface of the other of said rotatable member and fixed body. Preferably the respective sealing member is positioned at the outlet end of the conveyance duct and biased to abut the inner facing surface of the fixed body. The sealing members are preferably made from elastomeric material and are biased by a respective spring. In an alternate embodiment, the members are made from elastomeric material that are biased by their own resilient elasticity. In another embodiment, the respective sealing members are collars made from rigid material pushed by springs and provided with a retaining packing. 
     Preferably, the respective second sealing member in either the rotatable valve member or fixed body can be completely misaligned from any of the outlets in the other of the rotatable members or fixed body and sealingly closes the duct from the outlet in said fixed body to form a stop valve. 
     In one embodiment, the rotatable valve member is assembled to a second rotatable member. The conveyance duct is determined by the configuration in the nature of a cavity presented by the respective facing surfaces of the juxtaposed rotatable valve member and second rotatable member. Preferably, either the rotatable valve member or second rotatable member is linked to a driving device and a torque transmitter is provided between the second rotatable member and rotatable valve member. 
     It maybe desirable to include a resiliently biased detent release member to be positioned between the fixed body and the rotatable valve member and engaging a notch or debossment to provide an indication of the correct operating position of the valve where one respective sealing member is exactly aligned about the other of the outlets in the rotatable member and one outlet in the fixed body. 
     It is also desirable to include a stop limiter interconnected between the fixed body and rotatable valve member for limiting the rotational movement that the rotatable member may have with respect to the fixed body. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     Reference now is make to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic segmented view that illustrates the essential parts of a valve according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view looking down on the fixed body of the valve; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rotatable assembly at surface  22 ; 
     FIG. 4 is a diametrical profile illustrating an embodiment of the valve according to the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an alternate embodiment of disc member  21 ; and 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the disc member  21  shown in FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The basic principle behind the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-3, which schematically illustrate only the essential parts of the valve. 
     The valve comprises a fixed body  10  which, under operating conditions, is sealing enclosed by a cap  30 . The fixed body  10  has an inlet connection  12  to which is linked an inlet duct  13  that extends along an axis  10 . In inlet duct  13 , there is housed a first sealing element which, in the form shown, is commercially available by annular elastomeric ring  14  seated above and biased by a coil spring  15 . Furthermore, fixed body  11  has a plurality of outlet connections  16 , each of which is linked to an outlet duct  17 . 
     Inlet connection  12  is intended to be connected to the outlet of a flow control device (not shown) which, for example, can be a mixing faucet or a thermostatic valve, and each of the outlet connections  16  is intended to be connected to a hydraulic unit (not shown), which one wishes to be able to supply through the above-mentioned flow control device. These hydraulic units, for example, can be the tap spouts, showerheads, hand held showers or the like. 
     Inlet duct  13  and outlet duct  17  empty upon an internal surface  18  of fixed body  11  which, in this example, is planar in shape but which can have a different contour. Any selected contour must display circular symmetry with respect to axis  10 . All outlet ducts  7  empty upon internal surface  18  at a distance or a circumference C having its center on axis  10 , as clearly illustrated in FIG.  2 . Fixed body  11  also has a fastening device such as thread  19  for engaging cap  30 . 
     A rotatable assembly  20  has a first part that includes a disc  21  with a surface  22  that faces internal surface  18  of fixed body  11 . The surfaces  18  and  22  are arranged in loose sliding contact with each other or in close spaced proximity to each other. The rotatable assembly  20  is completed by a second part  23  mounted to the rotatable disc  21  and retained by a packing  24 . The two parts  21  and  23  of the rotatable assembly  20  are constructed and shaped such that when assembled together, a conveyance duct  25 , is defined inside the assembly  20 . The duct  25  has a first inlet  26  that empties upon surface  22  along axis  10  and, therefore, aligns with the inlet duct  13  of fixed body  11  and an outlet  27  which is positioned a distance that corresponds to the circumference C as shown in FIG.  3  and thus selectively alignable with outlet duct  17 . In this outlet part  27 , there is housed a second annular elastomeric sealing element  28  that is also resiliently biased against surface  18  of fixed body  11  by a spring  29 . Similarly the sealing element collar  14  is biased and retained against surface  22  of the rotatable member  21  about inlet  26  by spring  15 . 
     Rotatable member  20  is mounted rotatably in fixed body  11  so as to be able to rotate around axis  10 . It is integrally formed with a control stem  32  that extends out of cap  30  and aligned with axis  10 . A packing  31  prevents leakage. Control stem  32  can be attached to a knob, lever or other handle (not shown). 
     The described valve works in the following manner. Rotatable member  20  is pivoted from any torque forces transferred from control stem  32  so that outlet  27  of conveyance duct  25  becomes aligned with one of the pre-selected ducts  17  of fixed body  11 . The following open hydraulic circuit is established between connection  12 , inlet duct  13 , inlet part  26 , conveyance duct  25 , outlet part  26 , outlet duct  17 , and outlet connection  16 . Therefore, an outlet of a flow control device that is connected an inlet connection  12  is enabled to supply a hydraulic unit connected to the pre-selected outlet duct  16 , while all the other hydraulic units connected to the other outlet connections  16  are not supplied and sealed from any water leakage. The valve thus makes it possible to direct the water supply coming from a flow control device to a selected hydraulic unit of an assembly, dependent on the rotated position of rotatable member  20 . 
     Furthermore, the rotatable member can possibly also be pivoted into a shut-off or closed position in which outlet  27  of the conveyance duct corresponds to a point on surface  18  of fixed body  11  where no outlet duct  17  is present and thus sealing outlet  27  via sealing element  28  against surface  18 . In this case, the valve intercepts the supply of water. One shut-off position of outlet  27  and sealing element  28  is shown in phantom in FIG.  2 . 
     A possible practical embodiment of the valve is shown in a cross-sectional segmented view in FIG.  4 . The parts that correspond to those in FIGS. 1-3 have the same reference numbers and will not be further described. In this case, body  11  has two inlet connections  12  which are connected to each other by a passage  34  and are connected to inlet duct  13  in which is located a sealing element  14  and spring  15 . This arrangement makes it possible to use one or the other of connections  12  which is in the most favorable position for installation, while closing off the opposite. Alternatively, the opposite inlet  12  can connect to a pipeline intended to be supplied independently of the position of the diverter valve. Furthermore, fixed body  11  has a plurality of outlet connections  16 , which are not visible, because they are not in the profile plane, and a plurality of corresponding outlet ducts  17 , which are likewise not visible but shown in phantom as if it is to be shown on the profile plane. In this FIG. 4, the valve is shown in the shut-off position. 
     The second part  23  of the rotatable assembly  20  is not made in one piece with the control stem  32  but is coupled to the control stem by means of a prismatic coupling  42 . Furthermore, to transmit in the best possible fashion to the first part  21  the rotating movements received from control stem  32 , part  13  has a projection  33  that engages a correspondingshaped cavity  43  in part  21 . 
     In many cases it is not suitable for the rotatable member  20  to perform an unlimited rotation, so stop limits are built into the valve device. A peg  44  is inserted in fixed body  11 . The peg  44  engages a notch  45  that extends along the periphery of member  21  and whose extension determines the range of rotation of rotatable assembly  20 . 
     Also provided is a detent device  46  (illustrated by way of an external view), comprising on the inside, for example, a sphere  47  that is biased upward by a spring (not shown) cooperating with at least one hemispherical notch  48  in the surface  22  of the rotatable member to define positions determined by it. These positions are selected such that each of them results in selected alignment of outlet duct  27  with one of the ducts  17  to supply water to one of the hydraulic units connected to the valve. At least one shut-off position can also be defined in this fashion. 
     Washer  57 , made of anti-friction material, can be inserted between part  23  of the rotatable member and cap  30  to decrease rotatable frictional forces. One can also use various materials to make the valve function practically. Generally, body  11 , cap  30  and control stem  32  are metallic. Parts  21  and  23  of the rotatable member  20  are plastic material. In any case, one may avoid the use of expensive materials such as ceramics or other hard metals with the valve according to the invention. 
     The device according to FIG. 4 works in the same way as explained with reference to FIGS. 1-3 with the addition of the functions intended to limit mobility due to peg  14  and the definition of the operating positions due to detent member  46 . 
     There may be situations where it is desired to have fuller sealing of the separate outlets  17  from duct outlet  27  even during operation of rotatable member  20 . In such a situation it is desired to add a sealing ring  50  about sealing element  28  to prevent any cross-flow as sealing element  28  crosses over any outlet  17  as shown in Figures. Such a sealing ring  50  is merely seated in a complementary groove  52  in surface  22  as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
     It is understood that the invention is not confined to the embodiments described and illustrated as examples. Such modifications are well within the grasp of the expert in the field. For example, the inlet connections can vary in number and be arranged in various ways. The number of outlet connections depends on the intended use and can also vary. The sealing devices, each described as consisting of a collar made up of elastomeric material provided with a spring, could have a different structure. In particular, they could be made up of collars that are pushed by their own elasticity or by rigid collars pushed by springs and provided with retaining packing. Stem member  20  could have a shape different from a shaft, for example, it could be a lever or a key. 
     These and other modifications and any substitution with technical equivalents can be introduced without departing from the scope of the invention and the coverage of this patent as defined by the appended claims.