US Patent 6880575 Water mixing valve

A water mixing valve having two water inlets, a mixing chamber, a rotatable control member having openings for controlling flow from the water inlets to the mixing chamber, the control member comprising a substantially circular plate having first and second surfaces, the water inlets sealing against the first surface and the openings extending between the first and second surfaces and a support for supporting the control member on the second surface, the support including a base wall generally parallel to the control member and a peripheral wall extending from the periphery of the base wall to the periphery of the control member so as to support the control member and form the mixing chamber therebetween wherein the support and control member are together rotatable relative to the water inlets, the support including surfaces against the openings in the control member for directing flows from the respective openings towards one another and into the mixing chamber for efficient mixing, the base wall including inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface facing the second surface of the control member and the water mixing valve further includes a thrust race supporting the support at an outer periphery of the outer surface of the base wall, the water mixing valve further including a water outlet from its housing and a temperature sensor adjacent the outlet to enable electronic control of the output temperature, wherein the walls of the outlet are shaped around the temperature sensor such that of six possible perpendicular orientations of the water mixing valve, in at least three mutually perpendicular orientations and any orientation in between, the temperature sensor remains submerged in water when water is allowed to drain from the water outlet by gravity and the water mixing valve further including a zero position detector, a zero position indicator being provided on the control assembly for detection by the zero position detector such that, when the zero position detector detects the zero position indicator at a predetermined position, it is determined that the openings are at a preselected position relative to the inlets.