Fluid handling – Processes – Cleaning – repairing – or assembling
Patent
1995-10-16
1998-03-24
Hepperle, Stephen M.
Fluid handling
Processes
Cleaning, repairing, or assembling
137315, 137375, 137597, 137606, F16K 1107
Patent
active
057301670
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a hot and cold water mixing device for mixing hot water and cold water and delivering the mixed water, and more particularly, to a hot and cold water mixing device having features in the method of constituting fluid passages in the device.
BACKGROUND ART
The hot and cold water mixing device such as a hot and cold water mixing faucet is formed therein with a hot water passage and a cold water passage, through which hot water and cold water flow, respectively, and at the same time, is formed with a mixing chamber therein for mixing the hot and cold water introduced and with a mixed water passage through which the mixed water is delivered, in order to mix the hot and cold water supplied from a hot water supply source and a cold water supply source, respectively, to deliver the mixed water having a desired temperature.
These fluid passages have hitherto been formed by providing a body (casing) of a faucet made by casting, with partition walls therein, through integral molding (for example, refer to JPB-58(1983)-40060). The body casing made by casting has an advantage in that the fluid passages therein can be formed in relatively free forms; however, there is a problem in that the body casing becomes large in configuration and also heavier in weight.
A hot and cold water mixing device has, therefore, been developed in which the body casing is composed of a hollow metal pipe material in place of the body casing made by casting, and a hollow inner casing is inserted into the pipe material, fluid passages being formed in the gap between the pipe material and the inner casing (U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,393).
In the hot and cold water mixing device comprising the pipe material and the inner casing inserted therein, the pipe material is provided with openings which communicate with a hot water supply passage, a cold water supply passage and a mixed water delivery passage, and further, the inner casing is also provided with water holes which communicate with the hot water supply passage, cold water supply passage and mixed water delivery passage. Further, the openings of the pipe material and the water holes of the inner casing are disposed with the respective openings and water holes corresponding to the hot water supply passage, cold water supply passage and mixed water delivery passage being close to each other, and seal members (O-rings) are circumferentially provided between the respective openings and the water holes, so that the hot water passage, mixed water passage and cold water passage are formed in a divided manner.
In the inner casing of this hot and cold water mixing device is incorporated a closing valve for adjusting the delivered amount of the mixed water and a mixing valve having an automatic temperature-regulating function for automatically regulating the mixing ratio of hot and cold water in the relation corresponding to a set temperature.
Accordingly, the hot water, which has flowed into the inner casing through the opening and the water hole communicating with the hot water supply passage, and the cold water, which has flowed into the inner casing through the opening and the water hole communicating with the cold water supply passage, are passed through the mixing valve and mixed there in a suitable ratio, and then the mixture is delivered from the mixed water delivery passage by the operation of the closing valve.
The hot and cold water mixing device using the pipe material and inner casing has an advantage in that the dimension of the external form thereof is made smaller and reduced in weight, as compared with that using the body casing made by casting.
However, since a plurality of O-rings are mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner casing to form the hot water passage, mixed water passage and cold water passage in a divided manner from one end to the other end of the inner casing, the hot and cold water mixing device comes to be parted into three distributions of temperature--a high temperature part, a moderate temperature part and
REFERENCES:
patent: 4381073 (1983-04-01), Gloor
patent: 4610393 (1986-09-01), Rodriguez
patent: 5467795 (1995-11-01), Martin et al.
patent: 5524668 (1996-06-01), Matsuo et al.
Enoki Masatoshi
Furuta Satoru
Matsui Hideyuki
Matsukuma Tatsuo
Matsuo Yuji
Hepperle Stephen M.
Toto Ltd.
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