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Flow control system

  • US 10,385,553 B2
  • Filed: 05/18/2017
  • Issued: 08/20/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A fluid flow control system, comprising:

  • (a) a fluid inlet configured to be operatively coupled to a fluid source;

    (b) a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the fluid inlet such that fluid may exit the system therethrough;

    (c) a proximity sensor for detecting the position of an object within a region adjacent the sensor; and

    (d) a flow control device configured to regulate fluid flow between the inlet and outlet in response to object detection by the sensor, wherein the flow control device comprises a disc valve which varies the fluid flow proportional to the detected distance of the object from the sensor;

    wherein said disc valve comprises first and second valve plates located adjacent one another, said first valve plate having a pair of circumferentially-spaced arcuate openings and said second valve plate having first and second circumferentially-spaced openings, with each of said circumferentially-spaced openings in the second valve plate selectively alignable with one of said arcuate openings in the first valve plate,wherein the first opening in the second valve plate includes a first portion having a first width and a second portion having a width smaller than the width of the first portion, and the second opening has an area smaller than that of said first opening in the second valve plate; and

    further wherein at least one of the valve plates is selectively rotatable with respect to the other for selectively aligning the openings in said first and second valve plates in order to allow fluid flow through the aligned openings, the openings in the valve plates configured such that the second opening in the second valve plate is only aligned with one of the arcuate openings in the first valve plate when both the first and second portions of the first opening in the second valve plate are aligned with the other of said arcuate openings in the first valve plate.

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