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 gear chamber within said housing adjacent said turbine chamber;
a gear housing assembly positioned within said gear chamber and including;
a gear housing body having a top including a shaft bearing and a bottom having a gear train output opening and a shaft receiving opening,a drive shaft extending through and supported by said shaft bearing and positioned within said shaft receiving opening,a reduction gear train having a first gear array mounted for rotation upon said drive shaft and a second gear array operatively emmeshed with said first gear array to derive a predetermined reduction ratio, said gear train having an eccentric output component at said gear train output opening, anda rotational drive component mounted for rotation upon said gear housing body bottom, movable in select correspondence with said eccentric output component and having a valve drive portion;
a turbine mounted upon said drive shaft within said turbine chamber, rotatable by fluid incident thereon from said input port and coupled in driving relationship with said reduction gear train;
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 an upwardly disposed driven portion slideably engageable with said rotational drive component valve drive portion, further having a valve closure portion extending therefrom including a camming stem slideably movable upon said valve cam surface to retain said valve closure portion in an open valve orientation and movable into 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 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 within 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 a 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 to 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.
45 Citations
21 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 gear chamber within said housing adjacent said turbine chamber; a gear housing assembly positioned within said gear chamber and including; a gear housing body having a top including a shaft bearing and a bottom having a gear train output opening and a shaft receiving opening, a drive shaft extending through and supported by said shaft bearing and positioned within said shaft receiving opening, a reduction gear train having a first gear array mounted for rotation upon said drive shaft and a second gear array operatively emmeshed with said first gear array to derive a predetermined reduction ratio, said gear train having an eccentric output component at said gear train output opening, and a rotational drive component mounted for rotation upon said gear housing body bottom, movable in select correspondence with said eccentric output component and having a valve drive portion; a turbine mounted upon said drive shaft within said turbine chamber, rotatable by fluid incident thereon from said input port and coupled in driving relationship with said reduction gear train; 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 an upwardly disposed driven portion slideably engageable with said rotational drive component valve drive portion, further having a valve closure portion extending therefrom including a camming stem slideably movable upon said valve cam surface to retain said valve closure portion in an open valve orientation and movable into 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 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, 13, 14)
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15. 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 gear housing assembly slideably positionable within said gear chamber and including; a gear housing body having a top including a centrally disposed inwardly extending shaft bearing and a first shaft receiving cavity spaced therefrom, a bottom having a gear train output opening aligned with said first shaft receiving cavity, a second shaft receiving cavity aligned with said shaft bearing, and fluid passage openings within said top and bottom, a first drive shaft having one end supported within said second shaft receiving cavity and the opposite end extending through and supported by said shaft bearing, a reduction gear train having a first gear array mounted for rotation on said first drift shaft, a second gear array including an eccentric output component mounted for rotation upon said gear train output opening, a second drive shaft mounted between said eccentric output component and said first shaft receiving cavity for supporting said second gear array in operative association with said first gear array, and a rotational drive component mounted for rotation upon said gear housing body bottom, movable in select correspondence with the rotation of said eccentric output component and having a slideably engageable valve drive portion; a turbine rotatably mounted upon said drive shaft within said turbine chamber, having a gear drive component extending within said shaft bearing coupled in driving relationship with said second gear array; 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 rotatable valve member mounted for rotation about a valve axis parallel with said first drive shaft, having an upwardly disposed driven portion slideably engageable with rotational drive component valve drive portion, having 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 member 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 (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification