Method of controlling mixing valve
AssigneeKohler Mira Limited
InventorKevin T. Peel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of controlling at least one of the flow rate or temperature of outlet water from a mixing valve having a first control valve configured to receive water at a first temperature and a second control valve configured to receive water at a second temperature higher than the first temperature includes moving at least one of the first or second flow control valves to output a flow of water from the mixing valve having at least one of a desired flow rate or temperature, wherein the force required to actuate the flow control valves is substantially independent of water flow.
Claims24
A method of controlling at least one of the flow rate or temperature of outlet water from a mixing valve having a first control valve configured to receive water at a first temperature and a second control valve configured to receive water at a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the method comprising:
- moving at least one of the first or second flow control valves to output a flow of water from the mixing valve having at least one of a desired flow rate or temperature, wherein the force required to actuate the flow control valves is substantially independent of water flow.
A method of controlling flow rate of outlet water from a flow control valve, the method including connecting the flow control valve to a water supply, configuring the flow control valve so that an operating force to actuate the flow control valve is substantially independent of water flow, and controlling the flow control valve to output a flow of the water having a desired flow rate.
A method of controlling at least one of the flow rate or temperature of outlet water from a mixer valve, the method comprising:
- providing a mixer valve with a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet, a water outlet, a first flow control valve for controlling flow of cold water from the cold water inlet, and a second flow control valve for controlling flow of hot water from the hot water inlet;
- providing each flow control valve with a valve inlet communicating with the associated water inlet, two valve outlets communicating with the water outlet and a valve member assembly to control the flow of water through the respective flow control valve;
- connecting the cold water inlet to a cold water supply;
- connecting the hot water inlet to a hot water supply, wherein the cold and hot water supplies have different temperatures;
- providing each valve member assembly with a first valve member adapted to engage with a first valve seat in a closed position of the associated flow control valve and a second valve member adapted to engage with a second, separate, valve seat in the closed position of the associated flow control valve so that, the first valve member is arranged to be urged closed by water entering through the valve inlet and the second valve member is arranged to be urged open by water entering through the valve inlet such that, when in use, water flowing through the first flow control valve exerts substantially no net force on the valve member assembly of the first flow control valve and water flowing through the second flow control valve exerts substantially no net force on the valve member assembly of the second flow control valve so that an operating force to actuate the first and second flow control valves is substantially independent of water flow;
- and
- controlling the first and second flow control valves separately or in combination and outputting a flow of cold water or hot water or a blend of the cold and hot water having a desired flow rate and temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.