Claims
- 1. A water injection system for a tub, comprising:
- a plurality of nozzles for injecting water into the tub; and
- a water distribution valve including:
- a housing having an inlet for receiving said water and a plurality of outlets connected to the nozzles respectively; and
- a rotor which has a circumferential surface and a longitudinal bore, is rotatably disposed in the housing and is shaped so as to be rotated by said water flowing into the housing from the inlet and to sequentially connect the outlets to the inlet, the housing have a longitudinal axis about which the rotor is rotatably disposed, with the housing inlet shaped such that said water flows through the inlet into the housing parallel to said longitudinal axis;
- said outlets being rotationally spaced from each other about said longitudinal axis;
- said rotor being formed with a spiral groove against which said water impinges from the inlet to cause rotation of the rotor, said groove being formed through the rotor from said bore to said circumferential surface and sequentially aligning with the outlets upon rotation of the rotor.
- 2. A system as in claim 1 in which the groove aligns at least partially with more than one, but not all of the outlets in at least one rotational position of the rotor.
- 3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said outlets have circular cross-sections.
- 4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said outlets are connected to their respective nozzles by respective conduits that have cross-sectional areas no larger than the cross-sectional areas of the outlets.
- 5. A fluid distribution valve, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet and a plurality of outlets; and
- a rotor which has a circumferential surface and a longitudinal bore, is rotatably disposed in the housing and is shaped so as to be rotated by fluid flowing into the housing from the inlet and to sequentially connect the outlets to the inlet, the housing having a longitudinal axis about which the rotor is rotatably disposed, with the housing inlet shaped such that said fluid flows through the inlet into the housing along said longitudinal axis;
- said outlets being rotationally spaced from each other about said longitudinal axis;
- said rotor being formed with a spiral groove against which said fluid impinges from the inlet to cause rotation of the rotor, said groove being formed through the rotor from said bore to said circumferential surface and sequentially aligning with the outlets upon rotation of the rotor.
- 6. A valve as in claim 1 in which the groove aligns at least partially with more than one, but not all of the outlets in at least one rotational position of the rotor.
- 7. A valve as in claim 5, wherein said outlets have circular cross-sections.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/054,535, filed Apr. 27, 1993, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1566497 |
Oct 1970 |
DEX |
3638509 |
May 1988 |
DEX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
54535 |
Apr 1993 |
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