Temperature-volume controlled mixing valve

Claim 2

Apparatus for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature comprising a mixing unit, means for introducing a first fluid having a first temperature into said mixing unit, means for introducing a second fluid having a second temperature into said mixing unit, said mixing unit including means to vary the respective flow rates of fluid passing through said first and second fluid introducing means and means to mix said first and second fluids to yield a third fluid having a third temperature, means to sense said third temperature, first generating means to generate a signal representative of said desired temperature, second generating means connected by transmitting means to said third temperature sensing means for generating a signal representative of said third temperature, means for comparing said desired temperature signal and said third temperature signal, the improvement comprising said first generating means, said second generating means and said comparing means all being energized by means actuated only after the achievement of a predetermined minimum flow rate from said mixing unit, said comparing means including means to generate an electrically amplified control signal having a magnitude representative of said comparison, and means to couple said control signal to said mixing unit to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature.

Claim 3

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said operation of said mixing unit is controlled in a manner to tend to reduce said control signal to zero and including means to produce a visual signal upon such reduction to zero.

Claim 4

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 1 wherein said mixing unit comprises a housing, a cylindrical chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an input opening, means to introduce said first fluid at a first temperature and said second fluid at a second temperature into said input opening and means to rotate said chamber and input oPening to control the amount of said first fluid and the amount of said second fluid entering said chamber in order to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature.

Claim 5

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means to sense said third temperature is so positioned from said mixing unit as to minimize the effects of flow stratification and transport lag.

Claim 6

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 3 wherein said input opening is a contoured slot and wherein said output opening comprises a plurality of openings.

Claim 7

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 3 including means to position said chamber along said axis of rotation in order to regulate the rate of flow of said third fluid from said output opening.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 further including an operator accessible first shaft whose rotational position determines the temperature of the output fluid and an operator accessible second shaft whose rotational position determines the rate of flow of output fluid.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means to rotate said chamber and input opening includes an electric motor and an attached gear head with said gear head having an output shaft attached to said chamber.

Claim 10

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 1 including means to preheat the fluid in one of said means for introducing a first fluid and said means for introducing a second fluid, second temperature sensing means to sense the temperature of fluid in said one of said means, and means to actuate said means to preheat the fluid if said second temperature sensing means senses that the temperature of the fluid in said one of said means is insufficient to permit said third temperature to equal said desired temperature.

Claim 11

Means for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature in accordance with claim 1 including manual means to render said mixing unit inoperable.

Claim 12

Apparatus for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature comprising a mixing unit, means for introducing a first fluid having a first temperature into said mixing unit, means for introducing a second fluid having a second temperature into said mixing unit, said mixing unit including means to mix said first and second fluids to yield a third fluid having a third temperature, means to sense said third temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said desired temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said third temperature, means to compare said desired temperature signal and said third temperature signal, said comparing means including means to generate a control signal representative of said comparison, and means to couple said control signal to said mixing unit to control the operation of said mixing unit to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said mixing unit comprising a housing, a cylindrical chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an input opening, means to introduce said first fluid at a first temperature and said second fluid at a second temperature into said opening and means to rotate said chamber and input opening to control the amount of said first fluid and the amount of said second fluid entering said chamber in order to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, means to position said chamber along said axis of rotation in order to regulate the rate of flow of said third fluid from said output opening, wherein said positioning means comprises a cam, means to rotate said cam, a cam roller position to travel about the periphery of said cam, cam arm means connected to said cam roller at a first point and to said chamber at a second point, and means to rotate said cam arm means about an axis positioned between said fiRst and second points to position said chamber substantially along its axis.

Claim 13

Apparatus for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature comprising a mixing unit, means for introducing a first fluid having a first temperature into said mixing unit, means for introducing a second fluid having a second temperature into said mixing unit, said mixing unit including means to mix said first and second fluids to yield a third fluid having a third temperature, means to sense said third temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said desired temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said third temperature, means to compare said desired temperature signal and said third temperature signal, said comparing means including means to generate a control signal representative of said comparison, and means to couple said control signal to said mixing unit to control the operation of said mixing unit to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said mixing unit comprising a housing, a cylindrical chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an input opening, means to introduce said first fluid at a first temperature and said second fluid at a second temperature into said opening and means to rotate said chamber and input opening to control the amount of said first fluid and the amount of said second fluid entering said chamber in order to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, means to position said chamber along said axis of rotation in order to regulate the rate of flow of said third fluid from said output opening, wherein said positioning means comprises a cam, means to rotate said cam, a cam roller position to travel about the periphery of said cam, cam arm means connected to said cam roller at a first point and to said chamber at a second point, and means to rotate said cam arm means about an axis positioned between said fiRst and second points to position said chamber substantially along its axis.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11 further including a rotatable disc rigidly connected to said cam, said rotatable disc having a plurality of notches in its periphery, and a disc roller means positioned to travel about the periphery of said disc and to enter said plurality of notches to provide readily identifiable detent positions corresponding to fixed increments of flow rate.

Claim 15

Apparatus for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature comprising a mixing unit, means for introducing a first fluid having a first temperature into said mixing unit, means for introducing a second fluid having a second temperature into said mixing unit, said mixing unit including means to mix said first and second fluids to yield a third fluid having a third temperature, means to sense said third temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said desired temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said third temperature, means to compare said desired temperature signal and said third temperature signal, said comparing means including means to generate a control signal representative of said comparison, and means to couple said control signal to said mixing unit to control the operation of said mixing unit to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said mixing unit comprising a housing, a cylindrical chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an input opening, means to introduce said first fluid at a first temperature and said second fluid at a second temperature into said input opening and means to rotate said chamber and input opening to control the amount of said first fluid and the amount of said second fluid entering said chamber in order to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said means to rotate said chamber and input opening including an electric motor and an attached gear head with said gear head having an output shaft attached to said chamber, and further including shaft means to manually set said desired temperature, means connecting said shaft means to said motor so that said motor is initially positioned by said shaft means and said gear head comprising means to operate in a differential mode whereby said control signal to said mixing unit will cause said motor to position said chamber without affecting said shaft means so that said manually set desired temperature remains unaffected by said positioning of said chamber.

Claim 16

Apparatus for producing a fluid output having a desired temperature comprising a mixing unit, means for introducing a first fluid having a first temperature into said mixing unit, means for introducing a second fluid having a second temperature into said mixing unit, said mixing unit including means to mix said first and second fluids to yield a third fluid having a third temperature, means to sense said third temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said desired temperature, means to generate a signal representative of said third temperature, means to compare said desired temperature signal and said third temperature signal, said comparing means including means to generate a control signal representative of said comparison, and means to couple said control signal to said mixing unit to control the operation of said mixing unit to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said mixing unit comprising a housing, a cylindrical chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an input opening, means to introduce said first fluid at a first temperature and said second fluid at a second temperature into said input opening and means to rotate said chamber and input opening to control the amount of said first fluid and the amount of said second fluid entering said chamber in order to bring the temperature of said third fluid to said desired temperature, said means to rotate said chamber and input opening including an electric motor and an attached gear head with said gear head having an output shaft attached to said chamber, and further including shaft means to manually set said desired temperature, means connecting said shaft means to said motor so that said motor is initially positioned by said shaft means and said gear head comprising means to operate in a differential mode whereby said control signal to said mixing unit will cause said motor to position said chamber without affecting said shaft means so that said manually set desired temperature remains unaffected by said positioning of said chamber.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mixing unit comprises a housing, a chamber mounted for rotation about its axis within said housing, said chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and said means for sensing said third temperature being located in a position relative to said outlet opening so as to minimize the effects of flow stratification and transport lag.