Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to water treatment systems, and more particularly to bypass valves for the water treatment apparatus and sensors for measuring water flow through the treatment system. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A water treatment system, such as a water softener or reverse osmosis filter, often is incorporated into the plumbing of a building. For example, potable water received from a well usually is considered to be “hard” as containing minerals that adversely affect the cleansing ability of soaps and detergents. Furthermore, the minerals leave objectionable deposits on plumbing fixtures, glassware and the like. As a consequence, a water softener or filter is employed to remove the minerals and “soften” the water. 
     Occasionally, it is necessary to perform maintenance on the water treatment system, such as replacing the filter medium or a failed component. In order to perform such maintenance, the water treatment apparatus must be functionally and sometimes physically disconnected from the building&#39;s plumbing system. However, while the maintenance is being performed, it is desirable to provide untreated water for use in the building for drinking, flushing toilets and other purposes. Therefore, a bypass valve is provided at the connection of the water treatment apparatus to the building plumbing system. The bypass valve disconnects both the inlet and the outlet of the treatment apparatus from the plumbing pipes and interconnects those pipes so that water is provided throughout the building while the maintenance is being performed. 
     Flow sensors, such as a turbine wheel connected to a transducer that produces an electric signal, have been incorporated into previous water treatment systems to indicate the amount of water flowing there through. The flow indicating signal is applied to a controller which provides a cumulative measurement of the volume of water that has been treated by the system, thereby indicating when maintenance on the water treatment system needs to be performed or in the case of a water softener when regeneration is required. Heretofore the flow sensors were either incorporated into the main control valve assembly of the water treatment apparatus or were in a separate housing that was placed in a pipe remote from water treatment apparatus. However, such remote location required additional plumbing connections and thus increased the labor costs and component costs associated with the water treatment system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A bypass valve for a water treatment system includes a body having a first chamber and a second chamber connected by a bridge passage to the first chamber. The body also comprises an inlet that opens into the first chamber to receive untreated water, an untreated water outlet that opens into the first chamber, a treated water inlet that opens into the second chamber, and an outlet that opens into the second chamber and through which treated water exits the valve. 
     A first valve element is rotatably received in the first chamber. In a first position, the first valve element connects the inlet to the untreated water outlet. In a second position of the first valve element, the inlet is connected to the bridge passage and disconnected from the untreated water outlet. A second valve element is rotatably received in the second chamber. In a third position, the second valve element connects the outlet to the treated water inlet. In a fourth position of the second valve element, the outlet is connected to the bridge passage and disconnected from the treated water inlet. A manually operable mechanism is provided to rotate the first valve element in the first chamber and the second valve element in the second chamber. 
     Another aspect of the present bypass valve is the incorporation of a flow sensor into the first or second valve element. Preferably, a turbine is rotatably received in that valve element and a transducer produces an electrical signal in response to rotation of the turbine. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a bypass valve according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational view of a side of the bypass valve to which connections to the building plumbing system are made; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross section view through one of the cap assemblies on the bypass valve; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view illustrating the components of the bypass valve; 
         FIG. 5  is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the assembled bypass valve in the water treatment service position; 
         FIG. 6  is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the assembled bypass valve in the bypass position; and 
         FIG. 7  is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the assembled bypass valve in the closed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With initial reference to  FIG. 1 , a bypass valve  10  is provided to functionally disconnect a water treatment apparatus from the plumbing system of a building while still permitting water to be supplied throughout the building. The bypass valve  10  comprises a body  12  with first and second housings  14  and  15  connected by a tubular bridge  16 . The first housing  14  has an inlet  18  adapted for connection to a pipe of the building plumbing system that supplies water to be treated by the water treatment system. A untreated water outlet  20  projects from the first housing  14  diametrically opposite to the inlet  18 . Similarly, the second housing  15  has an outlet  22  projecting from the same side of the bypass valve  10  as the inlet  18 . A treated water inlet  24  is located on the second housing  15  diametrically opposite to the outlet  22 . 
     The first and second housings  14  and  15  have openings at their tops that are sealed by separate caps  26  and  28  of identical construction. Each cap  26  and  28  threads onto the outer circumferential surface of the respective first or second housing  14  and  15 . The details of the first cap  26  are shown in  FIG. 3 . A rubber-sealing ring  39  is located inside the cap to engage the upper annular surface of the first respective housing  14  to prevent water from leaking there between. The first cap  26  has an aperture  30  centrally located in its dome through which a shaft  32  of a valve operator  34  extends. The upper end of the shaft  32  is connected to a member, such as a knob  36  or lever, which can be grasped and turned by a user to operate the bypass valve. The inner end of the actuator shaft  32  is affixed to a disk-shaped driver  38 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the first housing  14  has a first chamber  41  into which the inlet, untreated water outlet and a passage  55  through the bridge  16  open. The second housing  15  has a second chamber  43  into which the outlet, treated water inlet and the bridge passage  55  open. Identical tubular first and second valve elements  40  and  42  are received respectively within the first and second chambers  41  and  43 . Each element  40  and  42  has an elongated first aperture  44  that extends approximately 150 degrees around its curved outer surface. A circular second aperture  46  is located through that outer surface diametrically opposed to one end of the first aperture  44 . A sealing ring  48  is received in an annular groove in the valve element&#39;s outer surface at a center-to-center spacing of 90 degrees from the second aperture  46 . 
     A flow meter cage  60  is inserted into the tubular second valve element  42 . Openings in the flow meter cage  60  align with the first and second apertures  44  and  46  allowing water to flow through both the second valve element  42  and the flow meter cage. The flow meter cage  60  has a cross member  61  that bows outward into a notch  63  in the driver  38  of the valve operator  34  shown in  FIG. 3  so that rotation of the valve operator, as will be described, also rotates the flow meter cage. The cross member  61  fits tightly into the driver&#39;s notch so that the flow meter cage  60  is pulled out of the second valve member when the second cap  28  is removed from the second housing  15 . 
     A disk shaped turbine  62  is rotatably received within the flow meter cage  60  and spins therein under the flow of fluid through the second housing  15 . A permanent magnet  64  is mounted on the turbine  62 . A Hall effect sensor  66  is mounted on the bottom surface of the second housing  15  as shown in  FIG. 2  and acts as a transducer producing an electrical signal pulse each time the permanent magnet  64  passed that sensor. Thus the electrical signal pulses can be counted by a conventional circuit in a well-known manner to produce a measurement of the amount of water flowing through the bypass valve. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , the upper edges of the first and second valve elements  40  and  42 , in the illustrated orientation, has a key  50 , which is received within a recess  52  in the edge of the actuator driver  38  beneath its associated cap  26  or  28 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . This engagement causes the valve element to rotate within the respective housing  14  or  15  when a user rotates the knob  36  or  37  on the associated cap  26  or  28 . However, when a cap  26  or  28  is removed from the top of the respective first or second housing  14  or  15 , the key  50  slides easily out of the recess  52 , allowing the associated first or second valve element  40  or  42  to remain in the housing. 
     When the two knobs  36  and  37  are rotated into the position shown in  FIG. 1 , the first and second valve elements  40  and  42  are rotated into a “service” position depicted in  FIG. 5 . At this time, the first valve element  40  is in a first position and the second valve element  42  is in a third position. Here the first aperture  44  of the first valve element  40  communicates with the inlet  18  and the second aperture  46  in that valve element aligns with the untreated water outlet  20 , thereby conveying fluid from the water supply to the water treatment apparatus. In this state of the bypass valve  10 , the first aperture  44  of the second valve element  42  communicates with the treated water inlet  24  and that valve element&#39;s second aperture  46  opens into the bypass valve outlet  22 . Thus fluid is conveyed from the treated water inlet  24  to the bypass valve outlet  22 . The flow of that fluid is measured by the turbine  62  and the associated Hall effect sensor  66 . Note that a solid portion of the second valve element  42  closes a fluid passage  55  through the bridge  16 , thereby preventing water from flowing between the first and second housings  14  and  15 . 
     When the knobs  36  and  37  are rotated counter-clockwise 90 degrees from the orientation shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the first and second valve elements  40  and  42  are rotated the same amount into the “bypass” position shown in  FIG. 6 . Now, the first valve element  40  is in a second position and the second first valve element  42  is in a fourth position. In this orientation, the first aperture  44  of the first valve element  40  communicates with both the inlet  18  and the bridge passage  55 . A solid portion of the first valve element  40  closes the untreated water outlet  20 . The two apertures  44  and  46  of the second valve element  42  communicate with the bridge passage  55  and the outlet  22 . The solid portion of the second valve element  42  closes the treated water inlet  24 . Thus in the “bypass” position, water from the inlet  18  is conveyed through the bridge passage  55  directly to the outlet  22  so that untreated water is supplied to the building. The water flows around the turbine  62  which thus does not spin in the bypass position. In this state, both of the water treatment apparatus connections  20  and  24  are closed so that the apparatus can be repaired or have maintenance performed on it. 
     If from the “service” position shown in  FIG. 5 , the knobs  36  and  37  are rotated clockwise 90 degrees, the first and second valve elements  40  and  42  are rotated counter-clockwise by that amount into the closed positions shown in  FIG. 7 . Now, the first valve element  40  is in a fifth position and the second first valve element  42  is in a sixth position. In this state, solid portion of the first valve element  40  closes the bypass valve inlet  18  and the solid portion of the second valve element  42  closes the outlet  22 . Now, not only is the water treatment apparatus disconnected from the plumbing pipes connected to the inlet  18  and the outlet  22 , but water is prevented from flowing through the bypass valve  10  between the inlet and the outlet. As a consequence in this state, the bypass valve is fully closed as no fluid can flow through it. 
     The fully closed state allows a cap  26  or  28  and internal components of the bypass valve to be removed for maintenance. With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the tight fit of the cross member  61  on the flow meter cage  60  into the notch  63  of the driver  38  pulls the flow meter cage and turbine  62  out of the second valve member when the second cap  28  is removed from the second housing  15 . However, the tight engagement of the first and second valve elements  40  and  42  with the inside surface of the respective first and second housings  14  and  15 , provided by each sealing ring  48 , retains the valve elements in those housings and maintains closure of the associated inlet or outlet  18  or  22 . 
     The foregoing description was primarily directed to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention, it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure.

Technology Category: 4