Flow rate scale field calibration for balancing valve

Abstract

A balance or flow limiting valve features a valve body/member having a flow rate indicator/scale containing setting having printed flow rates calibrated in units of measure in volume per time increment between a minimum flow rate position (MIN) and a maximum flow rate position (MAX); and a knob/handle having a position indicator and being moveable to any continuous position on the flow rate indicator/scale between MIN and MAX in response to a user applied force, where the relationship between the flow rate indicator/scale and the position indicator is based on calibrated flow characteristics of the balance or flow limiting valve. The user can set an exact desired flow rate in one operation by moving the knob/handle to a desired position between MIN and MAX without consulting a printed flow curve or balance calculator to determine the desired exact flow rate.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . Apparatus, including a balance or flow limiting valve, comprising:
 a valve body/member configured with a flow rate indicator or scale containing settings each having a printed flow rate calibrated in appropriate units of measure in volume per time increment between minimum and maximum flow rate positions; and   a knob having a position indicator and being configured to be moved to any continuous position on the flow rate indicator or scale between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions in response to force applied by a user, where the relationship between the flow rate indicator or scale of the valve body/member and the position indicator of the knob is based at least partly on calibrated flow characteristics of the balance or flow limiting valve,   so that the user can set a substantially exact desired flow rate in one operation by moving the knob to a desired position between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions without consulting a printed flow curve or other form of a balance calculator to determine the desired exact flow rate of the balance or flow limiting valve.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the knob is configured to rotate. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the knob is configured to slide. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the appropriate unit of measure is gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per hour (LPH), or other volumetric unit of measure for fluid volume per length of time. 
     
     
         5 . Apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein intermediate calibrated printed flow rate settings between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions correspond to printed flow rates that are all calibrated to the same predetermined degree of exactitude, including about a tenth of a GPM, between a MIN printed flow rate and a MAX printed flow rate. 
     
     
         6 . Apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined degree of exactitude includes a predetermined degree of calibration that is measured in about a hundredth of a GPM. 
     
     
         7 . Apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the same predetermined degree of exactitude falls in a range of about a tenth to about a thousandth of a GPM. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the valve body/member is configured so that flow is substantially linear and within about the same predetermined degree of exactitude when the knob is moved to other settings between adjacent calibrated printed flow rate settings. 
     
     
         9 . Apparatus, including a balance or flow limiting valve, comprising:
 a valve body/member configured with a flow rate indicator or scale containing settings having a printed flow rate calibrated in appropriate units of measure in volume per time increment within a predetermined degree of exactitude between a minimum flow rate position (MIN) and a maximum flow rate position (MAX); and   a knob having a position indicator and being configured to be moved to any continuous position on the flow rate indicator or scale between the minimum flow rate position (MIN) and the maximum flow rate position (MAX) in response to force applied by a user, where the relationship between the flow rate indicator or scale of the valve body/member and the position indicator of the knob is based at least partly on calibrated flow characteristics of the balance or flow limiting valve,   so that the user can set a substantially exact desired flow rate in one operation by moving the knob to a desired position between the minimum flow rate position (MIN) and the maximum flow rate position (MAX) without consulting a printed flow curve or other form of a balance calculator to determine the desired exact flow rate of the balance or flow limiting valve.   
     
     
         10 . Apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the knob is configured to rotate. 
     
     
         11 . Apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the knob is configured to slide. 
     
     
         12 . Apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the appropriate unit of measure is gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per hour (LPH), or other volumetric unit of measure for fluid volume per length of time. 
     
     
         13 . Apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein intermediate calibrated printed flow rate settings between the minimum and maximum flow rate positions correspond to printed flow rates that are all calibrated to the same predetermined degree of exactitude, including about a tenth of a GPM, between a MIN printed flow rate and a MAX printed flow rate. 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the predetermined degree of exactitude includes a predetermined degree of calibration that is measured in about a hundredth of a GPM. 
     
     
         15 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the same predetermined degree of exactitude falls in a range of about a tenth to about a thousandth of a GPM. 
     
     
         16 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the valve body/member is configured so that flow is substantially linear and within about the same predetermined degree of exactitude when the knob is moved to other settings between adjacent calibrated printed flow rate settings.