Automatically operating valve for regulating water flow and faucet provided with said valve

• US 4,955,535 A
• Filed: 09/20/1989
• Issued: 09/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: Toto Limited
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hirofumi, Haraga, Hisato, Tsutsui, Osamu, Arita, Kinya, Tsukada, Ryoichi, Makita, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Michalsky, Gerald A.
• Application Number:
  US07/409,918
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 4/192, 4/623, 236/12.12, 236/12.15, 137/606, 251/129.04, 251/129.06
• US Class Current: 236/12.12
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/023 Inchworm motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87684 Valve in each inlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87877 Single inlet with multiple distinctly valved outlets

Abstract

An automatically operating valve for regulating water flow, especially a mixing valve for automatically mixing hot water and cold water to obtain a mixed water of a desired temperature is characterized by employing piezoelectric actuators for operating valve bodies thereof. Due to such a construction, the valve can not only fully close or open but also carries out the fine flow amount control by regulating the opening rate or angle of the valve body. Especially in case the automatically operating valve is a mixing valve, the mixing ratio of hot water and cold water can be accurately regulated so that the mixed water of a desired temperature can be always automatically obtained.

Claims

1. A faucet comprising

(a) a faucet body having a proximal end adapted to receive liquid supply means, a distal end having a tap opening for liquid discharge and a water outflow passage communicating between said proximal end and said distal end,

(b) a power-operated mixing and flow regulating valve, said valve being mounted on the proximal end of said faucet body, said valve being provided with an inflow passage to which a cold water supply pipe and a hot wate supply pipe are connected, said inflow passage communicating between said supply pipes and said water outflow passage by way of a pair of respective valve openings, opening degree of said valve openings being regulated by the reciprocation of a pair of respective valve elements,

(c) a pair of piezoelectric actuators, each independently and operably connected with a respective one of said valves, and

(d) a control device comprising a printed circuit disposed in said faucet body, said control device controlling the operation of said valve so as to effect automatic temperature control and flow rate control of mixed cold and hot water passing through said water outflow passage.

2. A faucet according to claim 1, further comprising an elongated partition plate within said faucet body, said partition plate forming a portion of the interior of the faucet body into an upper elongated chamber and a lower elongated chamber, said control device being received in said upper elongated chamber and said outflow passage comprising said lower elongated chamber.

3. A faucet according to claim 1, further comprising a hand detecting sensor which emits an output signal which is transmitted to said control device for operating said mixing valve so as to discharge said mixed water from said tap opening of said faucet.

4. A faucet according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of said mixed water and which emits an output signal which is transmitted to said control device to cause said control device to carry out a PID control on said temperature of said mixed water.

5. An automatically operating valve for regulating water flow according to claim 1, wherein each of said piezoelectric actuators comprises (a) a cylindrical actuator casing, (b) a plunger disposed in said actuator casing on an axis of said actuator casing, said plunger being movable in an axial direction, (c) a pair of clamping piezoelectric elements disposed around said plunger, said clamping piezoelectric elements being axially spaced apart from each other and (d) a stroke clamping piezoelectric element disposed around said plunger and between said clamping piezoelectric elements, and said control device comprises means for applying pulse-like voltage to said clamping piezoelectric elements and stroke piezoelectric elements based on a sequential operation program stored in a memory of said control device.