Valve device and hot water supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12276341-B2
Application number	US-202318482019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2023
Priority date	Oct 31, 2022
Publication date	Apr 15, 2025
Grant date	Apr 15, 2025

Abstract

A valve device includes: a case having a valve chamber and first to third water communication ports communicating with the valve chamber; first and second valve bodies disposed in the valve chamber; and a shaft body connected with the first valve body. The first valve body is rotated about a central axis of the shaft part. The second valve body is rotated about the central axis together with the first valve body. When rotated about the central axis in a first angle region, the first valve body changes a first flow rate, i.e., a flow rate of water between the first and third water communication ports, and a second flow rate, i.e., a flow rate of water between the second and third water communication ports. When the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in a second angle region, the second valve body changes the second flow rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve device, comprising:
a case;
a first valve body and a second valve body; and
a shaft body connected with the first valve body,
wherein the case has a valve chamber and a first water communication port, a second water communication port, and a third water communication port in communication with the valve chamber,
the first valve body and the second valve body are disposed in the valve chamber,
the first valve body is rotated about a central axis of the shaft body,
the second valve body is rotated about the central axis together with the first valve body,
when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in a first angle region, a first flow rate and a second flow rate are changed by the first valve body, wherein the first flow rate is a flow rate of water flowing between the first water communication port and the third water communication port, and the second flow rate is a flow rate of water flowing between the second water communication port and the third water communication port,
when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in a second angle region, the second flow rate is changed by the second valve body.

2. The valve device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first flow rate decreases as the first valve body approaches the second angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and the first flow rate is maintained at a minimum when the first valve body is rotated in the second angle region, and
the second flow rate increases as the first valve body approaches the second angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and the second flow rate decreases as the first valve body moves away from the first angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the second angle region.

3. The valve device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a ratio of the first flow rate with respect to a sum of the first flow rate and the second flow rate decreases linearly as the first valve body approaches the second angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region.

4. The valve device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first valve body is in a tubular shape extending along a direction of the central axis,
in the direction of the central axis, the first valve body has a first end and a second end on a side opposite to the first end,
an internal space of the first valve body is blocked at the first end and is partially blocked at the second end by the second valve body,
in the first valve body, a first opening part and a second opening part in communication with the internal space of the first valve body are formed,
in the second valve body, a third opening part in communication with the internal space of the first valve body is formed,
a first opening area, as an opening area of the first opening part when viewed from the first water communication port, decreases as the first valve body approaches the second angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and is maintained at a minimum when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and
a second opening area, as an opening area of the second opening part when viewed from the second water communication port, increases as the first valve body approaches the second angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and is maintained at a maximum when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the second angle region, and
a third opening area, as an opening area of the third opening part when viewed from the third water communication port, is maintained at a maximum vale when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the first angle region, and decreases as the first valve body moves away from the first angle region when the first valve body is rotated about the central axis in the second angle region.

5. The valve device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the second valve body is engaged with the second end to be not rotatable about the central axis.

6. A hot water supply device, comprising:
a first pipe, a second pipe, and a third pipe;
a heat exchanger; and
the valve device as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the first water communication port is connected with a tap water pipe by using the first pipe,
the second water communication port is connected with the heat exchanger by using the second pipe,
the third water communication port is connected with the third pipe, and
hot water is supplied via the third pipe.

Assignees

• Noritz Corp

Inventors

• Ouchi Ryoji
• Nakayama Kenichi
• Mori Masahiro

Classifications

• F24D19/1024 Primary

  a multiple way valve · CPC title

• F24D2220/0242

  Multiple way valves · CPC title

• F16K11/076 Primary

  with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution · CPC title

• F16K11/0856 Primary

  having all the connecting conduits situated in more than one plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug · CPC title