This application claims the priority of Chinese Application No. 201610428150.1, filed on Jun. 17, 2016 and the entirety thereof is herein incorporated in reference.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is related to a field of water softener and, more particularly, to a water softener valve mechanism and system thereof.
Nowadays, the presence of certain metal ions like calcium and magnesium principally as bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates in water causes a variety of problems. Hard water leads to the buildup of limescale, which can foul plumbing, and promote galvanic corrosion. In industrial scale water softening plants, the effluent flow from the re-generation process can precipitate scale that can interfere with sewage systems. Water softening is the removal of calcium, magnesium, and certain other metal cations in hard water. The resulting soft water is more compatible with soap and extends the lifetime of plumbing. Water softening is usually achieved using lime softening or ion-exchange resins. Water softeners are well known in the art and typically include a raw water source, a treatment tank containing an ion exchange resin, a brine tank containing a brine solution, and a control valve for directing fluids between the source, the tanks and a drain or other output.
Water softening occurs by running water through the ion exchange resin, which replaces the calcium and magnesium cations in the water with sodium cations. As the ion exchange process continues, the resin eventually loses its capacity to soften water and must be replenished with sodium cations. The process by which the calcium and magnesium ions are removed, the capacity of the ion exchange resin to soften water is restored, and the sodium ions are replenished is known as regeneration.
The existing art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,535,540 ('540) describes a control valve device for a water softener and the system thereof, wherein the system includes a piston, wherein movement of the piston between a plurality of different positions is operative to change the flow of water through the orifices.
From the above description abstracted from '540 patent, it is to be noted that the patent is focused on the piston to control open or close of variety of orifices as well as different fluid communication between pipes or conduits.
After study current art, it is noted that numerous valve structures are provided commercially. However, they are either complicated in structure or require additional control modules to control various water softening processes.
It is an objective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a water softener valve mechanism adapted to be in fluid communication with a resin tank containing therein resins for softening hard water and a brine tank containing therein salt water for cleaning resins in the resin tank. The valve mechanism constructed in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention has a valve body provided with a first inlet, a first outlet and a discharge for discharging waste such as calcium, magnesium. Furthermore, a static valve plate and a dynamic valve plate rotatably corresponding to the static valve are provided inside the valve body to selectively channel different waterways to undergo various water softening processes.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is to have a water softener valve mechanism having a body provided with a first inlet, a first outlet and a first discharge. The body further has a static valve plate provided with a first passage, a second passage, a third passage, a fourth passage, a fifth passage and a sixth passage respectively and radially defined through a surface of the static valve plate and a second discharge defined through a central portion of the static valve plate to have the first passage, the second passage, the third passage, the fourth passage, the fifth passage and the sixth passage radially located around the second discharge; and a dynamic plate rotatable relative to the static plate and having an elongated recess defined in a side face of the dynamic plate and a third inlet in communication with the first inlet of the body and to selectively communicate with the first passage, the second passage, the third passage, the fourth passage, the fifth passage and the sixth passage; and a driving device mounted inside the body to drive the dynamic valve plate to rotate.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the driving device includes a motor, a master gear securely connected to the motor to be rotatable relative to the motor, and a planetary gear meshed with the master gear to be driven by the master gear, the planetary gear is securely connected to the dynamic valve plate to provide a driving force to the dynamic valve plate to rotate relative to the static valve plate.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that a plurality photo sensors are mounted inside the body and photo pads mounted on the planetary gear to allow the photo sensors to detect angular positions of the dynamic valve plate after rotation.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that check valves are installed respectively in the fourth passage, the fifth passage and the sixth passage.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that a water softener system includes a body having a first inlet, a first outlet, a static valve plate immovably located inside the body and having multiple passages radially defined through a face of the static valve plate and a second discharge centrally defined through the face thereof to have the second discharge surrounded by the passages and a dynamic valve plate movable relative to the static plate and having a third inlet selectively communicating with the first inlet and one of the passages of the static valve plate and an elongated recess with a central portion thereof aligned and communicating with the second discharge and a far end thereof either selectively communicating with one of the passages or having no communication with any of the passages while the third inlet is still aligned and communicating with one of the passages;
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the passages of the static valve plate include a first passage, a second passage, a third passage, a fourth passage, a fifth passage and a sixth passage respectively and radially defined through the face of the static valve plate.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that a driving device mounted inside the body to drive the dynamic valve plate to move.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the driving device includes a motor, a master gear securely connected to the motor to be rotatable relative to the motor, and a planetary gear meshed with the master gear to be driven by the master gear, the planetary gear is securely connected to the dynamic valve plate to provide a driving force to the dynamic valve plate to rotate relative to the static valve plate.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that a plurality photo sensors mounted inside the body and photo pads mounted on the planetary gear to allow the photo sensors to detect angular positions of the dynamic valve plate after rotation.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that check valves installed respectively in the fourth passage, the fifth passage and the sixth passage.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the dynamic valve plate is rotated to a position where the third inlet is communicating with the first passage of the static valve plate and the far end of the elongated recess misaligns with any of the passages, a fluid communication is established among the first inlet, the third inlet, the first passage, the second inlet of the resin tank and the resin tank to turn hard water into softened water.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the dynamic valve plate is rotated to a position where the third inlet is communicating with the fourth passage of the static valve plate and the far end of the elongated recess aligns with the third passage to communicate the third passage with the second discharge, a fluid communication is established among the first inlet, the third inlet, the second outlet of the resin tank and an interior of the resin tank for cleansing resin plates inside the resin tank.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the dynamic valve plate is rotated to a position where the third inlet is communicating with the fifth passage of the static valve plate and the far end of the elongated recess aligns with the first passage to communicate with the second discharge, a fluid communication is established among the first inlet, the third inlet, the main inlet of the ejector to allow water to be mixed with salt water flowing from the brine tank via the negative pressure inlet of the ejector for refreshing resin plates inside the resin tank.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the dynamic valve plate is rotated to a position where the third inlet is communicating with the second passage of the static valve plate and the far end of the elongated recess aligns with the fourth passage to communicate the fourth passage with the second discharge, a fluid communication is established among the first inlet, the third inlet, the second passage, the second inlet and an interior of the resin tank.
A further objective of the embodiment of the present invention is that the dynamic valve plate is rotated to a position where the third inlet is communicating with the sixth passage of the static valve plate and the far end of the elongated recess aligns with the fifth passage to communicate the fifth passage with the second discharge, a fluid communication is established among the first inlet, the third inlet, the sixth passage and the main inlet, the negative pressure inlet and an interior of the brine tank.
Preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention in combination with the attached drawings shall be provided in detail in the following description. However, the given description is for example purpose only and should not be deemed as a limiting to the scope of the present invention in any way.
In order to make it easy to carry out the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a detailed description of the parts of the invention, supported with figures is provided here. As each part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has many features, it is made easy to read, by referring to each feature with a number included in the parts description text. The number of the parts feature(s) is indicated here by starting it sequentially from the number 100, wherever a part feature appears in a text, it is directly assigned its associated serial number.
With reference to
In addition, a static valve plate 140 and a dynamic valve plate 150, as shown in
Referring to
As stated earlier that the dynamic valve plate 150 is rotatable due to the driving force provided by the planetary gear 180, as shown in
Furthermore, it is understood that there are filtering phase, reverse cleaning phase, regenerating phase, cleaning phase and water supplementing phase in a water softener. The following description is aimed at providing a detailed operational process of the relationship between the static valve plate 140 and the dynamic valve plate 150 as well as the waterways in the valve mechanism.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
In the regenerating phase, when the salt water inside the brine tank 400 is below a previously determined level, the valve 420 inside the brine tank 400 automatically shut down, where in the water supplementing phase, the water entering the ejector 300 forces the valve 420 to turn on.
Again, in the regenerating phase, water is flowing in a reverse manner, for example, flowing from the first inlet 110 and passes through the third inlet 152 and the main inlet 330 of the ejector 300 to mix with salt water flowing from the negative pressure inlet 310 of the ejector 300 so as float/refresh the resin plates, after which, the water then flows through the second inlet 210 of the resin tank 200 and exits the discharge 130.
After a detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) has been provided, any skilled person in the art would easily understand the description so provided is for example purpose only. The scope for protection of the present invention is defined by the attached claims. Any skilled person in the art would easily amend, modify or alter the elements/devices of the present invention without departing from the principle essence and spirit of the present invention. However, the amendment, modification or alteration shall fall within the protection scope sought of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201610428150.1 | Jun 2016 | CN | national |