CN115875471A - Stop valve assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shut-off valve assembly comprising: a valve housing configured as at least a three-way pipe; a valve body, comprising: a body detachably mounted to one of the branches of the valve housing and rotatable relative to the valve housing to block or conduct fluid flowing therethrough; and a sealing body provided at the valve body and configured to cover the respective ports of the other two branches of the valve housing to effect sealing when the body blocks fluid. The stop valve assembly realizes the opening and closing of a flow path provided with the corresponding stop valve assembly by utilizing the rotary motion of the valve body relative to the valve shell instead of the traditional lifting motion, and the arrangement of the sealing body is the stop valve assembly in a closed state, so that a good sealing effect is provided; in addition, the device has the advantages of quick operation, simple structure, few parts, strong adaptability (no complex structure is required for a body on which the device is mounted to construct a fluid passage port to match with a stop valve to open and close a flow path), convenience in mounting, dismounting and maintenance and the like.

Description

Stop valve assembly

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of shower devices, in particular to a stop valve assembly.

Background

The shut-off valves used in prior art shower assemblies are typically constructed integrally with the shower body and rely on axial movement of the shut-off valve relative to the shower body to open or close the flow path of the shower body. Such a shut-off valve is usually screwed to the shower body, and its axial movement relative to the shower body also controls the opening or closing of the flow path in the shower body by axially rotating the depth to which the shut-off valve is screwed to the shower body.

In addition, since the shower body to which such an elevating type cutoff valve is applied generally requires a structure of the internal passage to be reconfigured at an inlet section of the internal passage, for example, a fluid passage port is molded by extending from a pipe wall of the shower body to an inside, so that the fluid passage port is closed or opened by elevating and lowering of the cutoff valve to conduct or cut off the fluid. Such a special construction makes the manufacture of the shower body difficult or inconvenient. Moreover, such shut-off valves have many drawbacks, including their relatively large construction, their inconvenient operation (lifting and lowering by engaging or disengaging each turn of the thread), and their installation, use, maintenance and replacement.

In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to devise a novel shut-off valve assembly that overcomes at least one or more of the above-mentioned deficiencies.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shut-off valve assembly whereby the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art are overcome.

To accomplish the above task, the present invention provides a shutoff valve assembly comprising: a valve housing configured as at least a three-way pipe; a valve body, comprising: a main body detachably mounted to one main branch of the valve housing and rotatable relative to the valve housing to block or conduct fluid therethrough; and a sealing body provided at the valve body and configured to cover respective ports of the other two branches of the valve housing to effect sealing when the main body blocks the fluid.

In a preferred embodiment, the body is provided with a through bore extending radially therethrough to communicate with two further branches of the valve housing when the shut-off valve assembly is in the conducting state; the main body is further provided with two grooves along the radial direction, the sealing body is arranged in the grooves and is provided with at least one protrusion along the periphery of the surface of the sealing body, and the protrusion is in press fit with corresponding ports of the other two branches when the stop valve assembly is in a blocking state.

In a preferred embodiment, the projection is configured in a ring shape, and when the projection is plural, it is arranged at a spacing from the peripheral edge of the seal body toward the center.

In a preferred embodiment, the stop valve assembly further comprises a connecting member provided with two engaging grooves arranged symmetrically with respect to an axial cross-section of the valve housing on a wall thereof accommodating the main branch of the valve body, the valve body being provided with fitting grooves along a circumferential direction thereof, the connecting member being configured to act on the fitting grooves and the engaging grooves corresponding to each other to restrict axial movement of the valve body with respect to the valve housing when the valve body is mounted to the valve housing and the fitting grooves correspond to the engaging grooves.

In a preferred embodiment, the sealing body and the groove are further provided with a stop protrusion and a stop recess, respectively, on opposite sides of each other, and the sealing body and the groove are prevented from being separated from the main body as the main body rotates relative to the valve housing by cooperation of the stop protrusion and the stop recess.

In a preferred embodiment, the valve body is provided with a drive groove in an axial direction at an end of the body exposed outside the valve housing, the drive groove being configured to be engageable by a drive tool to drive the valve body in rotation relative to the valve housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the valve body is provided with at least one mounting hole in a radial direction of the main body, the mounting hole being exposed to the outside of the valve housing and configured to be engageable by an installation tool for inserting or extracting the valve body relative to the valve housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the sealing body is configured to have a curvature of the wall of the housing conforming to the respective leg of the valve housing in which it is located.

In a preferred embodiment, the valve body is further provided with a circumferential groove in its body, said groove receiving a sealing ring to prevent fluid leakage in the axial direction along the respective branch of the valve body when the shut-off valve assembly is switched on.

In a preferred embodiment, the valve housing is configured as a straight tee, the valve housing detachably engaging a pipe for conveying fluid, the two grooves containing the sealing body being arranged oppositely on the valve body and at 90 degrees relative to the through bore.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from the practice of the invention.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an assembled view of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a stop valve assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shut-off valve assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the shut-off valve assembly is in an open (conducting) state;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shutoff valve assembly of FIG. 1, with the shutoff valve assembly in a closed (shut-off) condition;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the check valve assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the shut-off valve assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the check valve assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the shut-off valve assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the valve housing;

FIG. 11 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the valve housing;

fig. 12 is a schematic view of the assembly of the shut-off valve assembly of fig. 1 to the body of the shower body assembly.

Description of reference numerals:

1-stop valve assembly 10-valve housing 100 a-main branch 100 b-branch 100 c-engagement groove 12-valve body 120-main body 120 a-through hole 120 b-groove 120 c-mating groove 120 d-stop recess 120 e-drive groove 120 f-mounting hole 120 g-ring groove 122-sealing body 122 a-projection 122 b-stop projection 14-connector 2-shower body

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary versions of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to present embodiments of the invention, but the drawings are not necessarily to scale of the particular embodiments, and certain features may be exaggerated, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The position of some components in the drawings can be adjusted according to actual requirements on the premise of not influencing the technical effect. The appearances of the phrase "in the drawings" or similar language in the specification are not necessarily referring to all of the drawings or the examples.

Certain directional terms used hereinafter to describe the drawings, such as "inner", "outer", "upper", "lower", and other directional terms, will be understood to have their normal meaning and refer to those directions as they relate to when the drawings are normally viewed. Unless otherwise indicated, the directional terms described in this specification are generally in the conventional directions as understood by those skilled in the art.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used herein, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

Fig. 1 is a combination view of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a shut-off valve assembly according to the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the present invention provides a shut-off valve assembly 1, which is optionally applied in the field of shower technology, and in particular to a shower body 2 for controlling the conduction or the cutoff of fluid in the shower body 2. The shut-off valve assembly 1 includes a valve housing 10, a valve body 12, a sealing body 122, a connecting member 14, and the like. In which the valve housing 10 may be constructed as a three-way pipe, as shown in fig. 10 to 11. More preferably, the valve housing 10 may be configured as a straight tee. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other three-way valve housings 10 may be used.

Referring to fig. 2, the valve body 12 includes a main body 120 and a sealing body 122, the main body 120 being configured as a cylindrical member, preferably cylindrical. The body 120 is detachably mounted to one branch of the valve housing 10 and can rotate relative to the valve housing 10 to block or conduct fluid flowing through the shut-off valve. Taking the straight three-way pipe type valve housing 10 as an example, the main body 120 is installed into the main branch 100a, and the two branches 100b (one is a water inlet branch and the other is a water outlet branch) are coaxial (i.e. the two branches 100b are straight) and are perpendicular to the main branch 100 a. The sealing body 122 is mounted to the valve body 12 and is configured to align with the two branch legs 100b of the valve housing 10 when the main body 120 blocks fluid to block fluid passage and provide a seal for the valve housing 10, and in particular the main branch 100a thereof.

Referring again to fig. 2, the valve body 12 is formed with a through hole 120a extending therethrough in a radial direction thereof, the through hole 120a being adapted to align with and communicate with the two branch lines 100b when the shut-off valve assembly 1 is in the conducting state, thereby allowing fluid to pass through the shut-off valve into a corresponding structure, such as a shower body assembly. The valve body 12 is also provided with two grooves 120b in the radial direction, and the grooves 120b are preferably symmetrically arranged in the radial direction of the valve body 12 with respect to the axis of the valve body 12. The sealing bodies 122 are fitted into the respective recesses 120b, for example in a removable manner (of course not limited to this, but also in a single piece with the valve body by injection moulding, for example overmoulding), in a number corresponding to the number of recesses. The number of the sealing bodies 122 corresponds to the number of the grooves 120b. After the sealing body 122 is installed into the groove 120b and the valve body 12 is inserted into the valve housing 10, the sealing body 122 is particularly configured to have a curvature that conforms to the wall of the main leg 100a of the valve housing 10. Such a sealing body 122 is, for example, integrally formed in an arc shape, which may also be referred to as an arc-shaped gasket. One or more protrusions 122a are provided at the periphery of the surface of the sealing body 122, and the protrusions 122a are preferably annularly provided along the periphery of the sealing body 122. The sealing body 122 (i.e., an arc-shaped gasket) is aligned with and blocks the corresponding port of the branch line 100b in the shut-off valve assembly 1 in the blocked state. When the sealing body 122 is aligned with the port of the branch 100b, the annular projection 122a surrounds the corresponding port and press-fits against the wall of the valve housing 10 to function to seal the branch 100 b. When the projection 122a is plural (two as shown in fig. 5), and is spaced from the peripheral edge of the sealing body 122 toward the center, the provision of the plural flanges makes it possible to provide a more excellent seal with the sealing body 122.

Referring to fig. 3, as previously mentioned, the shut-off valve assembly 1 further comprises a connector 14, the connector 14 being configured to enable removable mounting of the valve body 12 to the valve housing 10. The valve housing 10 is provided with an engagement groove 100c on the wall of the valve housing 10 of its main branch 100a, and the engagement groove 100c is preferably provided near the side of the valve housing 10 where the valve body 12 is inserted. The engaging groove 100c is two grooves (i.e., upper and lower grooves as shown in fig. 2) extending in the circumferential direction on the valve body 12 symmetrically in the axial direction thereof, and the valve body 12 is provided with a fitting groove 120c in the circumferential direction thereof, and the fitting groove 120c may be a continuous groove extending in the circumferential direction thereof or two discontinuous grooves 120b extending in the circumferential direction thereof. The connecting element 14 is configured as a snap ring having a profile. In particular, the snap ring has a transition and two legs connected by a bend in the transition. The two legs form, for example, two outward projections between their respective free ends and the transition, the positions of the two projections corresponding to each other.

Referring to fig. 4 to 5, when the valve body 12 is inserted into the valve housing 10, the fitting grooves 120c (taking the continuous groove 120b as an example) of the valve body 12 are aligned with the engagement grooves 100c, the two legs of the connecting member 14 are inserted into the engagement grooves 100c, respectively, and then the two protrusions on the legs of the connecting member 14 are caught in the fitting grooves 120c of the valve body 12 and grip the valve body 12 under the elastic force of the connecting member 14 itself, after which the free ends of the legs of the connecting member 14 are protruded from the other engagement groove 100 c. The length of the engagement groove 100c is defined to allow insertion of the connecting member 14 and to restrict the legs thereof from moving away from each other when it clamps the valve body 12 so that the connecting member 14 can effectively clamp and fix the valve body 12, thereby restricting axial movement of the valve body 12 relative to the valve housing 10.

The sealing body 122 and the groove 120b are provided with stoppers, i.e., a stopper convex portion 122b and a stopper concave portion 120d, corresponding to each other on opposite sides to each other. As shown in fig. 2, the seal body 122 has a stopper protrusion 122b on a side facing the valve body 12, and the groove 120b has a stopper recess 120d. The shape of the stop recess 120d and the stop protrusion 122b correspond, for example, to a bar, a block, a rectangle, an ellipse, etc. The provision of the sealing body 122 and the stopper of the groove 120b is effective to prevent the sealing body 122 from being disengaged from the valve body 12 in accordance with the rotation of the valve body 12 with respect to the valve housing 10, and in particular, the press-fitting of the sealing body 122 and the valve housing 10 with each other increases the frictional force of the sealing body 122 in accordance with the rotation of the valve body 12.

Referring again to fig. 4 and 5, the valve body 12 is provided with a driving groove 120e in the axial direction, the driving groove 120e being particularly disposed at an end portion of the valve body 12 exposed to the outside of the valve housing 10, the driving groove 120e being configured, for example, as a flat groove, a star-shaped groove, a cross-shaped groove, or the like adapted to engage a driving tool (e.g., a screwdriver such as a straight, cross, mitre, star, square, hex, or the like) therein to drive the valve body 12 to rotate relative to the valve housing 10.

The valve body 12 is also provided with a mounting hole 120f in a radial direction thereof. Specifically, the mounting hole 120f is provided at a side of the valve body 12 exposed to the outside of the valve housing 10. The mounting hole 120f is configured to engage a mounting tool, which may be the same or different than the driving tool, for example. As shown in fig. 4, the mounting hole 120f is shown as circular. Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the mounting hole 120f may be configured in other shapes. For example, the mounting hole 120f may be in-line, cross, m-line, star, etc. to conform to the stem of an installation tool to facilitate installation, removal, etc. of the valve body 12 relative to the valve housing 10 using engagement of the installation tool with the mounting hole 120f.

In addition, the valve body 12, especially the main body 120 thereof, is further provided with a ring groove 120g, and the ring groove 120g is arranged along the circumferential direction of the main body 120. The groove 120g is designed to receive a seal ring. Two spaced seal grooves are provided on the valve body 12, and particularly the main body 120, for example, in the axial direction. A sealing ring received in the sealing groove may assist in sealing the main branch 100a of the valve housing 10. That is, such a sealing ring is provided to prevent fluid leakage in the main branch 100a in the axial direction of the valve body 12, particularly when the shutoff valve assembly 1 is in the on state.

The entire shut-off valve assembly 1 is configured to be removably mounted into a conduit carrying fluid. Alternatively, one end of the valve housing 10 may be joined to the delivery fluid conduit and the other end to the shower body 2, for example a shower body assembly. The stop valve provided by the application realizes the switching on or off of the shower body 2 and the pipeline through the rotation operation (preferably, the rotation angle is 90 degrees, and other angles can be realized as can be foreseen by a person skilled in the art) after being installed on the shower body 2 without continuously rotating to realize the opening (switching on) and the closing (off) of the thread type lifting stop valve. The shut-off valve assembly 1 of the present application thus provides a more rapid and efficient construction.

In addition, because whole stop valve assembly 1 assembles integratively, can the shower body 2 and the pipeline of direct junction shower body subassembly in the work progress to realize quick installation, and because this stop valve assembly 1 has the characteristics that the part quantity is few, effectively avoid the condition of part loss to take place.

As shown in fig. 4 to 9, the shut-off valve assembly 1 of the present application is shown in an open state and a closed state in a partial sectional view and a transverse sectional view, respectively.

As shown in fig. 4, 6 and 7, in the open state, the valve body 12 of the stop valve assembly 1 is rotated to have the through-holes 120a thereof correspond to the two branch paths 100b of the valve housing 10 to communicate the two branch paths 100b with each other to deliver fluid from one side (water supply pipe) of the stop valve assembly 1 to the other side (shower body 2 of the body assembly).

As shown in fig. 5, 8 and 9, in the closed state, the valve body 12 of the shutoff valve assembly 1 is rotated to have its through-hole 120a misaligned (in particular, by 90 °) with the two branch passages 100b of the valve housing 10, so that the respective ports of the two branch passages 100b are aligned and blocked (covered) by the sealing body 122 disposed on the valve body 12 to intercept the fluid and the gap between the ports of the branch passages 100b and the valve body 12 is sealed by the annular projection 122a provided on the sealing body 122, i.e., the groove 120b of the valve body 12 that accommodates the sealing body 122 may be disposed at 90 ° with respect to the through-hole 120a of the valve body 12. As can be seen from fig. 8 to 9, the flange of the sealing body 122 abuts against the wall of the valve housing 10 where the branch path 100b side intersects with the main path 100a, with such press-fitting of the sealing body 122 with the valve housing 10, so that the stop valve assembly 1 in the closed state (i.e., the state of stopping the flow) can avoid the flow from entering the main branch path 100a to spill outward in the axial direction of the main branch path 100a, which ensures good sealing performance of the stop valve assembly 1.

Figure 12 shows a schematic view of the shower body 2 with the shut off valve assembly 1 fitted to the shower body assembly. Wherein the shower body assembly is typically mounted into a wall, optionally having two water inlet ends and two water outlet ends. One water inlet end is connected with a hot water supply pipeline, and the other water inlet end is connected with a cold water pipeline; one of the water outlet ends is connected to a pipe connected to the water nozzle, while the other water inlet end is connected to a pipe connected to the shower head. In the illustrated shower body assembly, two shut-off valve assemblies 1 are fitted, one to each of the two water inlet ends of the shower body assembly. The provision of the cut-off valve assembly 1 having the branch line 100b provided with the annular groove distributed along the circumferential direction thereof and accommodating the gasket prevents the fluid from leaking when the fluid is joined to the shower body 2 of the shower body assembly through the branch line 100b of the cut-off valve. The shut-off valve assembly 1 has been previously assembled prior to installation into the shower body assembly. The fitting of the shut-off valve assembly 1 to the shower body 2 is effected by snap-fitting.

Specifically, as follows, the shut-off valve assembly 1 is provided with a slot in the circumferential direction of the branch 100b on the side thereof engaging the shower body 2, the shower body 2 is provided with a slot in the circumferential direction of the port on the side thereof engaging the corresponding branch 100b, when one branch 100b of the shut-off valve assembly 1 is inserted into the corresponding port of the shower body 2, the respective slots on the branch 100b and the shower body 2 correspond, and then the respective slots are sequentially inserted into the slots by means of elastic snap members (e.g., snap pieces) and the branch 100b of the shut-off valve assembly 1 is snapped in the shower body 2 to prevent axial movement thereof with respect to the corresponding port of the shower body 2. The resilient snap-in element may be configured to have a transition portion and two legs connected by the transition portion. The transition portion can extend in a transverse direction away from the leg to prevent the whole elastic clamping piece from being completely jointed to the slot to be unfavorable for the disassembly of the elastic clamping piece.

After the installation of the shut-off valve assembly 1 with respect to the shower body 2 is completed, an operator engages a driving hole of the shut-off valve assembly 1 with a driving tool to effect rotation of the valve body 12 of the shut-off valve assembly 1 with respect to the valve housing 10, thereby opening or closing the shut-off valve. The rotation of the valve body 12 relative to the valve housing 10 is not limited to 90 °, i.e., the communication of the through bore 120a of the valve body 12 with the branch 100b may alternatively be full or partial depending on the desired restriction of the fluid flow by the operator. Typically, such regulation is also related to pipeline flow testing, commissioning, water pressure regulation, etc. After determining the degree of opening (i.e., the angle of rotation) of the valve body 12 of the shut-off valve assembly 1 relative to the valve housing 10, it is generally not changed unless otherwise required. The integrally assembled shut-off valve assembly 1 provides ease of installation, removal and replacement with respect to the shower body 2.

The stop valve assembly provided by the invention realizes the opening and closing of the flow path provided with the corresponding stop valve assembly by utilizing the rotary motion of the valve body relative to the valve shell instead of the traditional lifting motion, and the setting of the sealing body is the stop valve assembly in a closed state, so that a good sealing effect is provided. The stop valve assembly has the advantages of being fast in operation, simple in structure, few in parts, strong in adaptability (complex structures are not needed for a body on which the stop valve assembly is mounted any more to construct a fluid passage port to match with the stop valve to achieve opening and closing of a flow path), convenient to mount, dismount and maintain and the like.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified by incorporating any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A shutoff valve assembly, comprising:

a valve housing configured as at least a three-way pipe;

a valve body, comprising:

a main body removably mounted to the valve housing in a primary leg thereof and rotatable relative thereto to block or allow fluid flow through the primary leg; and

a sealing body disposed on the valve body and configured to cover respective ports of the other two legs of the valve housing to effect a seal when the body blocks the fluid.

2. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 1,

said body having a bore extending radially therethrough to communicate with two other branches of said valve housing when said shut-off valve assembly is in the conducting state;

the main body is further provided with two grooves along the radial direction, the sealing body is arranged in the grooves, at least one protrusion is arranged on the surface of the sealing body along the periphery, and the protrusion is in press fit with corresponding ports of the other two branches when the stop valve assembly is in a blocking state.

3. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 2, wherein the projection is configured in an annular shape, and when the projection is plural, it is spaced centrally from the peripheral edge of the seal body.

4. The shutoff valve assembly of claim 1, further comprising a connector provided on a wall of the valve housing accommodating the main branch of the valve body with two engagement grooves symmetrically arranged with respect to an axial cross section of the valve housing, the valve body being provided with fitting grooves along a circumferential direction thereof, the connector being configured to act on the fitting grooves and the engagement grooves corresponding to each other to restrict axial movement of the valve body relative to the valve housing when the valve body is mounted to the valve housing with the fitting grooves corresponding to the engagement grooves.

5. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 2, wherein said sealing body and said groove are further provided with a stop protrusion and a stop recess, respectively, on opposite sides of each other, said sealing body and said groove preventing said sealing body from disengaging from said main body as said main body rotates relative to said valve housing by engagement of said stop protrusion and said stop recess.

6. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve body is provided with a drive groove in an axial direction at an end of the body exposed outside of the valve housing, the drive groove being configured to engage a drive tool to drive rotation of the valve body relative to the valve housing.

7. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve body is provided with at least one mounting aperture in a radial direction of the body, the mounting aperture being exposed outside the valve housing and configured to be engageable by an installation tool to insert or extract the valve body relative to the valve housing.

8. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the sealing body is configured to have a curvature that conforms to a wall of the respective branch of the valve housing in which it is located.

9. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve body further includes a circumferentially disposed groove in the body thereof, the groove receiving a sealing ring therein to prevent axial fluid leakage along the respective branch in which the valve body is located when the shut-off valve assembly is in the on state.

10. The shut-off valve assembly of claim 2, wherein said valve housing is configured as a straight tee, said valve housing removably engaging a conduit for conveying fluid, two of said grooves containing said sealing body being disposed opposite on said valve body and disposed at 90 degrees relative to said throughbore.

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