Electronic proportioning valve

• US 7,458,520 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Masco Corporation Of Indiana (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Barnett, Thomas Alan, Schmitt, Randall Paul, Chiang, Cliff, Belz, Jeffrey, Iott, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman; Marc E
• Application Number:
  US11/109,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20060231638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 236/12.11, 236/12.12, 236/12.15
• US Class Current: 236/12.12
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

An electronic proportioning valve for connection to a cold water source, a hot water source and a mixed water outlet and for providing a mixed water of a desired water temperature and flow rate to the mixed water outlet.

Claims

1. A water delivery system for connection to a cold water source, a hot water source and a mixed water outlet, and for providing a mixed water of a desired water temperature to the mixed water outlet, the water delivery system comprising:

a cold water valve adapted to be coupled to the cold water source for receiving cold water, and having a cold water outlet;

a hot water valve adapted to be coupled to the hot water source for receiving hot water, and having a hot water outlet;

a fluid mixer configured to receive cold water from the cold water outlet, to receive hot water from the hot water outlet, and to provide a mixed water to the mixed water outlet; and

a controller operably coupled to the cold water valve and the hot water valve, the controller being configured to adjust the cold water valve and the hot water valve to regulate a mixed water temperature of the mixed water to substantially correspond to the desired water temperature, the controller being further configured to regulate the mixed water temperature based on at least one characteristic of the cold water, at least one characteristic of the hot water, and at least one characteristic of the mixed water, wherein the controller operates alternatively in a feed forward manner and a feed back manner, the feed forward manner providing for the adjustment of the cold water valve and the hot water valve based on the at least one characteristic of the hot water and the at least one characteristic of the cold water, and the feed back manner providing for the adjustment of the cold water valve and the hot water valve based on the at least one characteristic of the mixed water, the controller operating in the feed forward manner when at least one of the cold water and the hot water is unstable.

2. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the controller operates in the feed back manner only when both the cold water and the hot water are stable.

3. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the cold water is unstable when at least one characteristic of the cold water changes by at least a predetermined value, and the hot water is unstable when at least one characteristic of the cold water changes by at least a predetermined value.

4. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic of the cold water includes at least one of the temperature of the cold water and the pressure of the cold water, the at least one characteristic of the hot water includes at least one of the temperature of the hot water and the pressure of the hot water, and the at least one characteristic of the mixed water includes at least one of the temperature of the mixed water and the pressure of the mixed water.

5. The water delivery system of claim 4, further comprising a cold water temperature sensor positioned to measure the temperature of the cold water, a cold water pressure sensor positioned to measure the pressure of the cold water, a hot water temperature sensor positioned to measure the temperature of the hot water, a hot water pressure sensor positioned to measure the pressure of the hot water, a mixed water temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the mixed water, and a mixed water pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure of the mixed water.

6. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to operate in the feed forward manner when the desired water temperature is unstable by changing by at least a predetermined value.

7. The water delivery system of claim 6, wherein the controller returns to operation in the feed forward manner if at least one of the cold water and the hot water become unstable.

8. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the controller operates in the feed forward manner from an initial opening of at least one of the hot water valve and the cold water valve, and switches to operation in the feed back manner only after both the hot water and the cold water are stable for a predetermined time.

9. The water delivery system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cold water servo motor coupled to the cold water valve and configured to control the position of the cold water valve;

a hot water servo motor coupled to the hot water valve and configured to control the position of the hot water valve; and

wherein the controller is configured to generate a cold water pulse width modulated signal to control the cold water servo motor for positioning the cold water valve, and to generate a hot water pulse width modulated signal to control the hot water servo motor for positioning the hot water valve.

10. The water delivery system of claim 1, further comprising:

an outlet restriction in fluid communication with the mixed water outlet,

an outlet pressure sensor coupled to the mixed water outlet and configured to measure the pressure of the mixed water; and

wherein the controller is configured to adjust the cold water valve and the hot water valve based on the pressure of the mixed water in order to actively compensate for the outlet restriction.

11. A method of controlling a water delivery system to provide a mixed water to a mixed water outlet, the water delivery system having a cold water valve connected to a cold water source, a hot water valve connected to a hot water source, and a mixer for combining cold water from the cold water valve and hot water from the hot water valve, the mixer being connected to the mixed water outlet, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an input representing a desired temperature of the mixed water being provided to the mixed water outlet;

monitoring at least one characteristic of the cold water provided to the cold water valve, at least one characteristic of the hot water provided to the hot water valve, and at least one characteristic of the mixed water provided to the mixed water outlet;

controlling the cold water valve and the hot water valve in a feed forward manner if at least one of the cold water and the hot water is unstable; and

controlling the cold water valve and the hot water valve in a feed back manner only if both the cold water and the hot water are stable.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cold water source is unstable when at least one characteristic of the hot water source changes by at least a predetermined value, and the hot water source is unstable when at least one characteristic of the cold water source changes by at least a predetermined value.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one characteristic of the cold water source includes the temperature of the cold water and the pressure of the cold water, and the at least one characteristic of the hot water source includes the temperature of the hot water and the pressure of the hot water.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller operates in the feed forward manner from an initial opening of at least one of the hot water valve and the cold water valve, and switches to operation in the feed back manner only after both the hot water source and the cold water source are stable for a predetermined time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the controller returns to operation in the feed forward manner if at least one of the cold water source and the hot water source become unstable.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

measuring the pressure of the mixed water; and

adjusting the cold water valve and the hot water valve in response to the measured pressure to compensate for a restriction coupled to the mixed water outlet.

17. A water delivery system for connection to a cold water source, a hot water source and a mixed water outlet, and for providing a mixed water of a desired water temperature to the mixed water outlet, the water delivery system comprising:

a cold water valve adapted to be coupled to the cold water source for receiving cold water, and having a cold water outlet;

a cold water temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the cold water supplied to the cold water valve from the cold water source and to provide a cold water temperature signal indicative thereof;

a cold water pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure of the cold water supplied to the cold water valve from the cold water source and to provide a cold water pressure signal indicative thereof;

a hot water valve adapted to be coupled to the hot water source for receiving hot water, and having a hot water outlet;

a hot water temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the hot water supplied to the hot water valve from the hot water source and to provide a hot water temperature signal indicative thereof;

a hot water pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure of the hot water supplied to the hot water valve from the hot water source and provide a hot water pressure signal indicative thereof;

a user input device configured to receive the desired temperature from the user and to provide a set temperature signal indicative of the desired temperature; and

a controller operably coupled to the cold water temperature sensor, the cold water pressure sensor, the hot water temperature sensor, the hot water pressure sensor, the cold water valve and the hot water valve, the controller being configured to adjust the cold water valve and the hot water valve to regulate a mixed water temperature of the mixed water to substantially correspond to the desired water temperature by operating alternatively in a feed forward manner and a feed back manner, wherein the controller is configured to regulate the mixed water temperature in the feed forward manner by adjusting the cold water valve and the hot water valve in response to the cold water temperature signal, the cold water pressure signal, the hot water temperature signal, the hot water pressure signal, and the set temperature signal.

18. The water delivery system of claim 17, further comprising a fluid mixer configured to receive cold water from the cold water outlet, to receive hot water from the hot water outlet, and to provide a mixed water to the mixed water outlet.

19. The water delivery system of claim 17, wherein the controller operates in the feed forward manner when at least one of the cold water and the hot water is unstable.

20. The water delivery system of claim 19, wherein the cold water is unstable when at least one characteristic of the cold water changes by at least a predetermined value, and the hot water is unstable when at least one characteristic of the cold water changes by at least a predetermined value.

21. The water delivery system of claim 20, wherein the at least one characteristic of the cold water includes at least one of the temperature of the cold water and the pressure of the cold water, the at least one characteristic of the hot water includes at least one of the temperature of the hot water and the pressure of the hot water, and the at least one characteristic of the mixed water includes at least one of the temperature of the mixed water and the pressure of the mixed water.

22. The water delivery system of claim 17, wherein the feed back manner providing for the adjustment of the cold water valve and the hot water valve is based on the at least one characteristic of the mixed water.

23. The water delivery system of claim 17, wherein the controller operates in the feed back manner only when both the cold water and the hot water are stable.

24. The water delivery system of claim 17, further comprising:

a cold water servo motor coupled to the cold water valve and configured to control the position of the cold water valve;

a hot water servo motor coupled to the hot water valve and configured to control the position of the hot water valve; and

wherein the controller is configured to generate a cold water pulse width modulated signal to control the cold water servo motor for positioning the cold water valve, and to generate a hot water pulse width modulated signal to control the hot water servo motor for positioning the hot water valve.

25. The water delivery system of claim 17, further comprising:

an outlet restriction in fluid communication with the mixed water outlet,

an outlet pressure sensor coupled to the mixed water outlet and configured to measure the pressure of the mixed water; and

wherein the controller is configured to adjust the cold water valve and the hot water valve based on the pressure of the mixed water in order to actively compensate for the outlet restriction.

26. The proportioning valve system of claim 17, further comprising:

a mixed water temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of water supplied to the mixed water outlet and provide a mixed water temperature signal indicative thereof;

wherein the controller is configured to adjust in a feedback manner the cold water valve and the hot water valve in response to the mixed water temperature signal.

27. The proportioning valve system of claim 17, further comprising:

a mixed water pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure of water supplied to the mixed water outlet and provide a mixed water pressure signal indicative thereof; and

wherein the controller is configured to compensate for restrictions to the mixed water flow in response to the mixed water pressure signal.