U.S. patent number 3,874,412 [Application Number 05/464,942] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-01 for timing motor drive mechanism for water softener valves.
Invention is credited to Andrew J. Fleckenstein, Herman C. Mitchell.
United States Patent |
3,874,412 |
Fleckenstein , et
al. |
April 1, 1975 |
TIMING MOTOR DRIVE MECHANISM FOR WATER SOFTENER VALVES
Abstract
A water softener valve timing mechanism utilizing a timing motor
to shift the valve through the various operating and softening
stages. A linkage is operated periodically to shift a drive gear
for the valve into engagement with a pinion of the timing motor. An
adjustable cam controls a brine line valve for variably controlling
the amount of water filled in the brine tank of the system to
thereby control salt usage.
Inventors: |
Fleckenstein; Andrew J.
(Brookfield, WI), Mitchell; Herman C. (Greenfield, WI) |
Family
ID: |
23845883 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/464,942 |
Filed: |
April 29, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
137/624.13;
137/624.18; 210/140; 74/3.52; 137/625.29 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K
31/48 (20130101); C02F 1/42 (20130101); Y10T
74/115 (20150115); Y10T 137/86445 (20150401); Y10T
137/86405 (20150401); Y10T 137/86726 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
C02F
1/42 (20060101); F16K 31/48 (20060101); F16K
31/44 (20060101); G05g 017/00 (); G05b
019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;137/624.11,624.13,624.15,624.18,624.2,625.29 ;74/3.52,3.54,3.5
;210/140,139,138 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Cohan; Alan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mann, Brown, McWilliams &
Bradway
Claims
We claim:
1. A timing motor timing and actuating mechanism for water softener
valves including a water softener valve having a movable control
element for controlling various stages of normal softening
operation and regeneration in a water softener system, a timing
motor adapted to run continuously and a drive gear adapted to be
operatively rotated thereby, means providing a driving connection
between said drive gear and said control element for translating
rotation of said gear into movement of said element, said drive
gear having a gap in the periphery thereof, said gap being adapted
to be moved into opposition to a drive pinion of said timing motor
to prevent engagement between said pinion and said gear, said
pinion being adapted to drive said drive gear when said gap is
moved away from said pinion, resilient means interconnected with
said drive gear so as to bias said drive gear away from a position
wherein said gap is opposed to said pinion, and a latching plate
movably mounted on a support and having means engageable with said
drive gear to hold the gap in said drive gear opposed to said
pinion, mechanism for disengaging said latching plate from said
gear to allow said resilient means to move said drive gear, said
gear and pinion being movably mounted on a support independently of
said latching plate, and means biasing said pinion toward an
engaged position with said drive gear.
2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said pinion and timing motor
are pivotally mounted on a support and said latching plate is
pivotally mounted on the same support, said motor and pinion being
carried by a plate, and separate springs bias said latching plate
toward the latched position and said motor plate toward a gear
engaging position.
Description
The present invention is directed to new and useful improvements in
control valves for water softeners and is particularly concerned
with improvements in a drive between a piston operated valve and a
timing motor which is used to operate the valve in a preselected
periodic fashion.
The present invention is directed to improvements in timing motor
and valve actuating mechanisms of the type illustrated in
Fleckenstein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,820, issued Nov. 2, 1971, and our
U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768, issued July 3, 1973.
In our prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768 we disclose a single motor
drive in which the timing mechanism for the water conditioning
system is operative to engage a direct drive from the timing motor
with the drive for the valve of the system when regeneration is
needed. In this prior patent, the timing motor is mounted upon a
movably mounted plate, and the timing mechanism acts at periodic
intervals, when regeneration is required, to move the plate from an
unlatched and inoperative position to a position allowing
engagement between a pinion drive from the timing motor and a gear
which is coupled to the valve through a crank-like connection. In
this construction the motor mounting and latching plate are one and
the same and move the motor bodily away from a position opposed to
the valve drive gear, whereupon a spring rotates the valve drive
gear through a fraction of a revolution and, upon return of the
pinion of the timing motor drive to the position juxtaposed with
the drive gear, the pinion and drive gear engage to thus cause
movement of the operating element of the valve through a
regenerating cycle. This arrangement provides an advantageous valve
drive from the timing motor so that the timing motor performs the
function of timing as well as a valve driving function when
required. Movement of the parts in mechanism of this type is quite
slow and the mechanism holds the plate in the disengaged position
until the timing mechanism advances sufficiently far so as to
release it. Hence, forcibly moving the pinion drive and timing
motor away from the valve drive gear causes a loss of time between
the time in which regeneration is actually desired and the time at
which the motor moves back to a position where the pinion drive can
engage the valve drive gear and initiate regeneration. In some
cases this lost time can be substantial and can amount to 30-40
minutes. Also, in this type of mechanism, movement of the pinion
toward and away from the valve drive gear each time regeneration is
started causes frictional wear in the teeth of the gears.
With the foregoing in mind, the major purpose of the present
invention is to provide timing motor drive mechanism of the same
general type disclosed in our prior patent and at the same time
improve the mechanism so as to minimize lost time between the time
desired for regeneration and the time that regeneration actually
starts, to reduce wear on the drive gears of the system, and to so
arrange the system that the forces required to cause an unlatching
movement of the mechanism and subsequent engagement between the
timing motor and valve drive may be lessened.
These and other purposes will appear from time to time in the
course of the ensuing specification and claims when taken with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a typical water softener system
provided with the present invention;
FIg. 2 is a front view of the water softener control illustrated in
FIG. 1;
FIg. 3 is a rear view of the control mechanism illustrated in FIGS.
1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a view of the control illustrated in FIG. 3 while
illustrating a different operative position of the parts; and
FIG. 5 is a detail side view of certain operating elements
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
Like elements are designated by like characters throughout the
specification and drawings.
With particular reference to the drawings, an operating mechanism
which is similar to that disclosed in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768
is disclosed. For example, the numeral 10 generally designates a
typical water softening tank having a control valve 11 fixed to the
top thereof, an inlet space 12 in the valve for flow through an
outlet 13 in the top of the water softener tank, an outlet pipe 14,
and an outlet space 15 in the valve. The valve has an aspirator
assembly 16 which is connected with a line through a shut-off valve
18 to a brine tank 19. A control generally designated at 20 is
fixed to the top of the valve and is adapted to drive the piston of
the valve at selected time intervals through a slowly moving and
uninterrupted reciprocating cycle. As the piston moves, the various
passages of the valve are connected for control of regenerative
operations.
The valve illustrated in FIG. 1 is generally representative of that
disclosed in Fleckenstein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,820.
As in our aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768, an upstanding
support plate 21 is fixed to the top of the valve by a flange 21a.
The support plate 21 supports a time-of-day wheel 22, a skip-day
wheel 23, a drive pinion 24 for the time-of-day wheel, an actuating
element in the form of a pin 25 projecting outwardly from the
time-of-day wheel 22, and an actuating arm 26 which is pivotally
mounted as at 27 on the upstanding support plate 21, all as
generally disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,820. The
skip-day wheel 23 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced
lugs 28 which are adapted to be engaged by the actuating element 25
once each day so as to shift the skip-day wheel 23 through an arc
corresponding to the spacing between adjacent lugs. The movement
may be 30.degree. with the twelve lugs illustrated. The lugs 28
carry small bolts 29 which are adapted to engage actuating arm 26
and move it angularly in periodic fashion. As disclosed in said
patent, a timing motor 30 is arranged to drive time-of-day wheel 22
through a full revolution each day so as to bring actuating element
25 into engagement with a lug 28 and shift actuating arm 26.
In the present invention, timing motor 30 is fixed to a mounting or
plate 31 and includes a drive pinion 32. Pinion 32 is part of a
gear train for the motor shaft. The pinion is adapted for
engagement with an intermediate gear 33 to drive the time-of-day
wheel, and is also adapted to periodically drive a gear 34 to
actuate the piston of the control valve. Gear 34 includes a hub 35
formed thereon which acts as a crank for a connecting rod or lever
36. Lever 36 is connected to the piston rod 36a of the piston in
the valve. Gear 34 includes a cut-away portion 37 in its periphery
so that when the cut-away portion is opposed to pinion 32 no drive
is effected between the pinion 32 and gear 34.
The mounting plate 31 for motor 30 is pivotally mounted as at 38 so
that the mounting plate may swing about the axis of the gear 33.
Such swinging movement is limited as by means of a slot 39 in the
mounting plate. A bolt or pin 40 is fixed to the plate 21 and rides
in this slot 39 so as to limit swinging movement of the motor
mounting plate in a counterclockwise direction to approximately
5.degree. to 15.degree.. A spring 41 extends between a pin 42 and a
flange 42a of the mounting plate so as to bias the motor mounting
plate in a clockwise direction and toward the normal position
illustrated in FIG. 3. This mounting arrangement allows the motor
and its mounting plate to swing counterclockwise to disengage the
pinion 32 from gear 34. This yieldability compensates for any
binding of the gears 33 and 34, as when gear teeth are directly
opposed rather than engaged.
A second plate 43, which acts as a latching plate, includes an
extension 43a, presenting a cam surface 44 to camming roller 45
carried by an extension 46 of actuating arm 26. Plate 43 is also
pivotally mounted on pivot 38 but pivots independently of motor
plate 31. When actuating arm 26 is moved counterclockwise in FIG.
3, it then cams latching plate counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 5.
Plate 43 is biased toward the latched position (FIG. 3) by a spring
43b between pin 40 and a flange 43c on the plate. Pinion 32 extends
through a circular hole 32a in plate 42 to allow the movement of
motor mounting plate 31, as aforesaid, independently of plate 43.
Plate 43 may undergo its unlatching movement, as aforesaid,
independently of plate 31.
Pin 42 rides in a slot 48 in the extended end of the latching plate
so as to provide stability for the same.
As in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768, connecting rod 36 is extended on
both sides of its pivotal connection 49 with the crank or hub 35.
The extension on the side opposite to the connection with the
piston rod 36a is connected with a spring 50. Spring 50 has one end
fixed to the support plate 21 as at 51 so that the spring 50 exerts
a biasing force on the connecting rod 36 in a clockwise direction
as illustrated in FIG. 3. Gear 34 carries an outwardly projecting
latching pin 52 on the surface thereof. This latching pin, when the
position of the elements is as illustrated in FIG. 3, is adapted to
seat within a recess 53 in an upper edge of the latching plate. A
knob 54 may be fixed to the connecting rod 36 so as to enable
manual rotation of the parts for purposes of inspection or
repair.
The operation of the timing and drive mechanism is as follows:
As in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,768, timing motor 30 runs
continuously so that its drive pinion 32 continually rotates the
time-of-day wheel 22 through the gears 24 and 33. During the time
of day wherein the normal water softening operation takes place,
valve drive gear 34 is disengaged from the drive pinion 32 of the
motor by reason of the gap 37 of the drive gear being opposed to
the drive pinion 32.
At predetermined time intervals, as, for example, once every 24
hours, the mechanism causes movement of arm 26. Actuating arm 26
then cams latching plate 43 counterclockwise as is seen in FIG. 3,
and this moves it away from the element 52 on the valve drive gear
34 so as to unlatch this element from the recess 53. Spring 50 then
biases valve connecting rod 36 clockwise as seen in FIG. 3, and
this produces a few degrees of movement of the valve driving gear
34 sufficient to move the gap of the valve drive gear away from the
motor pinion 32.
This action occurs in the same fashion disclosed in our previous
patent. In the present invention, however, the motor mounting plate
31, and hence the pinion drive 32 of the timing motor, remain in
position, despite movement of the latching lever. The shift in the
gap in the valve drive gear allows engagement between the teeth of
the valve drive gear and the teeth of the pinion substantially
immediately. If any binding of gears occurs, the spring mounting of
the timing motor, as provided by biasing spring 41, allows the
motor mounting plate, and hence the motor and drive pinion 32, to
yield away from the teeth of the valve drive gear until a proper
engagement can be made. In many cases, such yielding movement is
unnecessary.
Since the actuating lever 26 is required only to move latching
lever 43 away from the latched position, the spring force required
to bias latching lever 43 to the latched position may be relatively
light. The biasing spring for the latching lever plays no part in
holding the teeth of the drive pinion 32 and the teeth of the valve
drive gear together.
The timing motor then rotates valve drive gear 34 through the
remainder of a complete revolution and this in turn shifts the
valve piston through the various stages of movement required for
the regenerative operations. The movement is continuous and
uninterrupted.
When the valve drive gear has rotated to a position wherein the gap
37 is again opposed to the drive pinion 32 of the motor, the motion
is interrupted. At this point the valve connecting lever 36 is
substantially at top dead center position. Also, latching pin 52 on
the drive gear 34 drops into the latching recess 53.
Flange 42a may be moved manually to shift motor mounting plate 31
and thus allow manual rotation of gear 34 through actuation of knob
54. This is desirable for purposes of inspection and/or repair.
* * * * *