Apparatus for monitoring a flow of fluid through a filter medium
First Claim
1. Apparatus for monitoring a flow of fluid through a conduit comprising:
- a housing having an input port and an output port connectable with said conduit;
a turbine chamber within said housing in fluid communication with said input port for receiving fluid under pressure;
a turbine mounted within said turbine chamber and rotatable by fluid incident thereon from said input port;
a gear chamber within said housing in fluid communication with said turbine chamber;
a reduction gear train within said gear chamber rotatably drivably coupled with said turbine, having a predetermined reduction ratio and a rotational eccentric output component;
a valve seat within said housing adjacent said output port and including an open valve cam surface, and a valve closing detent portion,a rotatable valve member mounted within said housing having a rotational drive component positioned adjacent and movable in select correspondence with said eccentric output component and a valve closure portion extending therefrom including a camming stem slideably movable upon said valve cam surface to retain said valve closure position in an open valve orientation and movable within said valve seat detent portion to effect blockage of fluid flow through said output port; and
reset means for repositioning said rotatable valve camming stem upon said valve cam surface to effect opening said valve for permitting the flow therethrough of a predetermined quantity of fluid.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus is provided for use as an in-line fluid flow monitor through filter media of a variety typically employed in households upstream of a kitchen faucet. The apparatus includes a housing with an input port leading to a housing cap within which a turbine chamber retains a rotating turbine. The rotating turbine is coupled to a reduction gear train positioned with a gear housing, in turn, retained within the body of the housing in a reduction gear chamber. Fluid communication is provided from the turbine chamber to the gear reduction chamber. The gear reduction chamber ends in an eccentric output which drives the pawl of a pawl and ratchet assembly forming part of a rotatable valve. This rotatable valve rotates in increments as a camming stem affixed thereto moves along a camming surface until encountering a slot component. When the slot component is encountered, the rotatable valve and camming stem falls into it under spring bias to close the valve and provide a cue to the user that the predetermined quantity of flow of fluid has occurred. The device then is simply reset by hand by manipulating the camming stem back upon the camming surface.
47 Citations
20 Claims
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1. Apparatus for monitoring a flow of fluid through a conduit comprising:
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a housing having an input port and an output port connectable with said conduit; a turbine chamber within said housing in fluid communication with said input port for receiving fluid under pressure; a turbine mounted within said turbine chamber and rotatable by fluid incident thereon from said input port; a gear chamber within said housing in fluid communication with said turbine chamber; a reduction gear train within said gear chamber rotatably drivably coupled with said turbine, having a predetermined reduction ratio and a rotational eccentric output component; a valve seat within said housing adjacent said output port and including an open valve cam surface, and a valve closing detent portion, a rotatable valve member mounted within said housing having a rotational drive component positioned adjacent and movable in select correspondence with said eccentric output component and a valve closure portion extending therefrom including a camming stem slideably movable upon said valve cam surface to retain said valve closure position in an open valve orientation and movable within said valve seat detent portion to effect blockage of fluid flow through said output port; and reset means for repositioning said rotatable valve camming stem upon said valve cam surface to effect opening said valve for permitting the flow therethrough of a predetermined quantity of fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for monitoring the flow of fluid under pressure through a filter medium of given capacity, comprising:
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a housing having a body member and a cap coupled thereto; a turbine chamber formed within said housing cap; a gear chamber within said housing body extending from said turbine chamber when said cap is coupled with said body and in fluid flow communication therewith; a valve chamber within said housing body adjacent to and in fluid flow communication with said gear chamber and having a valve seat, a valve cam surface, and a valve closing slot; a turbine rotatably mounted within said turbine chamber and having a cylindrical stem portion extending into said gear chamber; an input port in fluid flow communication with said turbine chamber for directing said flow of fluid under pressure thereinto to effect rotation of said turbine; a reduction gear train within said gear chamber, having an input stage in rotationally driven contact with said turbine stem portion and having a predetermined reduction ratio providing a rotational output along a given axis extending within said valve chamber; a rotatable valve mounted for rotation about a valve axis parallel with said given axis, having a rotational drive component connected in driven relationship with said reduction gear train output, a valve closure portion extending therefrom and movable along said valve axis into closing contact with said valve seat, and a camming stem slideably movable upon said valve cam surface during rotation to retain said valve closure portion at a location remote from said valve seat effecting an open valve orientation, and movable along said valve axis into said closing slot to effect positioning of said valve closure portion into valve closing contact with said valve seat; an output port in fluid flow communication with said valve chamber for receiving said flow of fluid under pressure when said rotatable valve is in said open valve orientation; and reset means for repositioning said rotatable valve camming stem for movement upon said valve cam surface to provide for said rotation of said rotatable valve about said valve axis an amount predetermined with respect to said filter medium capacity. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification