Thermostat with flow regulators

A thermostatic control device, the device comprising

• a housing shaped to include at least one valve seating surface,
• a thermostatic valve mounted in the housing for movement from a fully closed position engaged with the at least one valve seating surface to block flow of cooling fluid to a fully opened position disengaged from the at least one valve seating surface to allow flow of cooling fluid around an entire circumference of the thermostatic valve, and
• a valve actuator coupled to the thermostatic valve and configured to drive motion of the thermostatic valve from the fully closed position to the fully opened position in response to a rise in the temperature of the cooling fluid,
• wherein the thermostatic valve includes a primary seal ring that engages the at least one valve seating surface to block flow of cooling fluid and metering means for first blocking and then allowing metered flow of the cooling fluid through the thermostatic valve during motion of the thermostatic valve from the fully closed position to the fully opened position by regulating the metered flow of cooling fluid based on the position of the thermostatic valve and restricting the flow of the metered cooling fluid to discrete, spaced-apart circumferential locations around the thermostatic valve,
• wherein the metering means is provided by a secondary seal ring with flow regulators providing passageways therethrough that remains in contact with the at least one valve seating surface during opening of the thermostatic valve after disengagement of the primary seal ring, and wherein the flow regulators form a V-shape with a defined bottom point at an annular, uninterrupted portion of the secondary seal ring when the thermostatic valve is viewed radially-inwardly toward an axis of motion along which the thermostatic valve moves.