Lever Faucet Valve Discrete Stops for Uniform Flow Limiting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sanitary lever faucets lack precise control over water flow, as the traditional grub screw mechanism destabilizes the spindle and allows only imprecise adjustment of the maximum opening angle, making it cumbersome to set uniform flow rates in large installations like hospitals.
Innovation Solution
A lever faucet valve with an adjusting member featuring multiple discrete stops with different inclination angles, allowing for quick and easy adjustment of the opening angle without a threaded through-bore, enabling toolless adjustment and snap-fit attachment to the spindle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a threaded through-bore is used for the grub screw to adjust the opening angle, then the opening angle can be adjusted, but the spindle becomes structurally destabilized and loses load capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the grub screw and threaded through-bore from the spindle structure. Instead of threading through the spindle, the adjustment mechanism uses a cam element that interacts with the spindle externally, preserving the spindle's structural integrity and load-bearing capacity while still enabling opening angle adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a cam element as an intermediary between the adjustment mechanism and the spindle. This cam element translates rotational movement into linear displacement that adjusts the opening angle, while the spindle itself remains untouched and structurally sound, acting only as the controlled component rather than the adjusting component.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a grub screw with continuous thread is used for adjustment, then the opening angle can be changed continuously, but the adjustment is imprecise and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the continuous adjustment range into discretepreset positions using a cam element with specific geometric features. These features correspond to predetermined opening angles, allowing quick selection from standardized flow rates without time-consuming continuous adjustment or counting revolutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam element is pre-configured with geometric features that correspond to predetermined opening angles and flow rates. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for on-site calibration or counting during adjustment, as the desired settings are already encoded in the cam's geometry, enabling rapid deployment across multiple faucets.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a grub screw mechanism is used, then the maximum opening angle can be limited, but the adjustment is cumbersome and difficult to standardize across multiple faucets
Solution Approach 1:
The cam element features self-centering and self-locking characteristics through its geometric design. When positioned and rotated, the cam automatically maintains its setting without requiring additional locking mechanisms or complex procedures, making the adjustment process intuitive and consistent across all faucets equipped with this mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns an adjusting member (28) for adjusting a maximum water flow setting of a lever faucet valve (10). The adjusting member (28) comprises a positioning structure (30) and a main axis (32), wherein by means of the positioning structure (30) the adjusting member (28) may be positioned with respect to a pivotable spindle (16) or a main body (14) of the lever faucet valve (10). The adjusting member (28) itself comprises at least two individual stops (36), wherein each of the stops (36) is configured to define, when the adjusting member (28) is positioned with respect to the spindle (16) or the main body (14), depending on the positioning of the adjusting member (28), a given flow limitation stage. Each flow limitation stage sets a given maximum water flow setting by limiting a maximum opening angle γ of the spindle (16). The invention further concerns a lever faucet valve (10) for controlling the dosage of water comprising such an adjusting member (28) and a sanitary lever faucet comprising such a lever faucet valve (10).