Thermostatic mixing valve
AssigneeKohler Mira Limited
InventorsNicholas John Beck, Sean Patrick Conway, Bruce Lewin John Hayward, Kevin Taylor Peel
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Abstract
A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has two-stage inlet chambers for the hot and cold water flows respectively. The inlet chambers distribute the flows uniformly with respect to porting for admitting the flows to the mixing chamber to reduce asymmetric flow patterns and promote thorough mixing of the flows within the mixing chamber.
Claims22
A thermostatic mixing valve having a hot water inlet for connection to a supply of hot water, a cold water inlet for connection to a supply of cold water, an outlet for temperature controlled water, valve means for controlling the relative proportions of hot and cold water admitted to a mixing chamber, the outlet communicating with the mixing chamber to receive temperature controlled water having a desired temperature, temperature control means for adjusting the valve means in accordance with the desired temperature of the temperature controlled water, each inlet communicating with a multi-stage plenum chamber constructed and arranged to distribute flow of water to porting of the valve means for admitting the water to the mixing chamber.
A thermostatic mixing valve for hot and cold water has two-stage inlet chambers for the hot and cold water flows respectively, the inlet chambers being arranged to distribute the flows uniformly with respect to porting for admitting the flows to a mixing chamber to reduce asymmetric flow patterns and promote thorough mixing of the flows within the mixing chamber.
A method of reducing asymmetric flow patterns and promoting thorough mixing of flows of hot and cold water within a mixing chamber of a thermostatic mixing valve comprises providing multi-stage inlet chambers for the hot and cold water flows respectively, and arranging the inlet chambers to distribute the flows uniformly with respect to porting for admitting the flows to a mixing chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.