GB2043215A

GB2043215A - An automatical drain valve, preferably for aerated beverages such as beer

Info

Publication number: GB2043215A
Application number: GB8005159A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Althuon & Nielsen As
Current assignee: Althuon & Nielsen As
Priority date: 1979-02-23
Filing date: 1980-02-15
Publication date: 1980-10-01
Also published as: DK144627C; DK144627B; FR2449645B3; NO152367C; FR2449645A1; FI65411C; IE800358L; NO152367B; DE3006416A1; BE881872A; DK80179A; FI800536A; FI65411B; GB2043215B; NO800509L; IE49272B1

Abstract

The drain valve comprises a stationary housing (1) with a tubular portion (7) pivotable by means of a lever, whereby said tubular portion raises together with a bearing (24) and a locking hub (18) by means of a pin (10) controlled in a cam track. By means of balls (17), the locking hub (18) is raised together with a spindle (12) comprising a valve member (13), which is raised from its seat (3). This movement counteracts the effect of a closing spring (15). When a predetermined amount of liquid has passed through a supply pipe (5), a flowmeter transmits an electrical pulse to a magnet coil (22) raising the locking hub (18) by means of a drawbar (19). Thereby the balls (17) are be pressed out of a groove (16) in the spindle (12), whereby the spring (15) presses the valve member (13) towards the seat (3) and thereby close the valve. When the lever (8) is returned to the starting position, a compression spring (23) represses the locking hub (18) downwards into the position in which the balls (17) are retained in the groove (16). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An automatical drain valve, preferably for aerated beverages such as beer The invention relates to an automatical drain valve, preferably for aerated beverages such as beer, and comprising a stationary housing with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, in which a valve seat is provided, which co-operates with a valve member on a spindle located in the housing, said spindle being connected to manually operatable control means adapted to move the spindle away from the seat during the tension of a fastening spring and back to the seat again, and whereby an activating device is adapted to release the spindle in such-a manner that the valve member is forced against the seat.

For filling up closed tanks with liquid fuel, automatical drain valves are generally used, said drain valves comprising manually operatable control means for moving the valve member away from the valve seat during the tension of a fastening spring and back again, as well as an activating device adapted to release the valve spindle in such a manner that the valve member of the fastening spring is forced against the valve seat. Such a drain valve is for instance known from German.Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,248,097; In addition to a manually operatable shutt-off valve piston, this valve comprises an auxiliary valve member, the valve spindle of which is released for closing by means of an activating device controlled by a low pressu.re produced ata predetermined degree of filling of the tank, in which the liquid is filled.Such a construction is, however, rather complicated and expensive since it requires two valve members and a rather complicated membrane arrangement to influence the valve spindle of the auxiliary valve with a vacuum-signal.

According to the present invention, an automatical drain valve is-provided, which is of a far more simple and less space-requiring construction than the previously known drain valves for filling noninflammable liquids both in open and in closed containers.

The drain valve according to the invention is characterised in that a linear actuating member such as an electro-magnet or a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder piston device controlled by a liquid flowmeter is provided, said electromagnet in order to counteract a return spring, being adapted to displace a drawbar and a locking hub located about the spindle and co-operating with said drawbar, out of a position, in which said electromagnet locks the spindle of the manually operatable control means into a position, in which the spindle may freely approach the valve seat by means of the fastening spring.

The outlet of such a valve is opened by means of the manually operatable control means raising the spindle together with the valve member from the seat at the same time as the fastening spring is tightened. At the moment the liquid flowmeter senses the predetermined amount of liquid to be dosed, it transmits a pulse to the activating device which releases the spindle allowing the fastening spring to return the valve member towards the seat and close the outlet.The connection between the flowmeter and a digital counter registering each release renders it possible to detect the total amount released during a predetermined period. - The electromagnet which.may be used without risk of explosions when draining inflammable li- quids reacts quickly and accurately to signals from the liquid flowmeter, and it ensures an accurate dosage of the draining by a low power consumption.

The activating device comprising only a few, simpie parts, is inexpensive to produce and requires only little space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the valve according to the invention, whereby the manually operatable means comprises a tubular portion pivotably mounted on the housing, said portipn being provided with a control lever and cbnnected in such a manner to the housing through a cam trackthat turning of the tubular portion relative to the housing implies a raising and a lowering, respectively, of the tubular portion, and this embodiment is characterised in that the electrnmagnet is located at the top of the tubular portion, and that the tubular portion comprises an internal bearing, in which the locking hub is situated, said internal bearing comprising a flange projecting inwards and abutting the under- side of a plurality of balls, which inthe closed position of the valve are freely located in a circum- ferential groove adjacent the uppermost end of the spindle in such a manner that they are kept against said groove through a circumferential, bell-shaped recess at the lowermost end of the locking hub abutting the top side of the portions of the balls projecting from the groove, Since the balls are freely located in the groove of - the spindle, they do not prevent the free pivota,bility between the locking hub and the internal bearing.

This internal bearing is through manual operation turned together with the tubular portion, andwhen, when the locking hub returns to the locking position the balls are easily carried into the groove,by. means of the bell-shaped recess at the bottom of the locking hub.

The above German Offenlegungsschrift does.in- > deed disclose a manner of locking the spindle of the auxiliary valve by means of radially displaceable balls, but by this known construction the balls are arranged in radial bores, which may hamper the free turning about the spindle shaft. According to the present invention, the balls are carried towards the centre means of the bell-shaped recess when the spindle is to be locked, whereby a simple and inexpensive locking construction is furthermore obtained.

The valve according to the invention furthermore distinguishes from the known valve by the fact that it is possible to throttle the amount of leaking liquid without using an extra valve, which is required by the above known construction. Moreover, the valve is easy to clean, said valve preferably being intended for draining of beverages.

The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a valve according to the invention, and Figure 2 illustrates a portion of the valve housing, seen in a direction of the arrow a of Figure 1.

The valve comprises a stationary housing 1, in which a spout 2 is screwed at the bottom. This spout comprises a conical valve seat 3 forming the liquid outlet of the housing 1. On the side of the housing an inlet 4 is provided, which communicates with one or more liquid supply pipes 5. At the top the housing 1 comprises a cylindrical member 6, on which a tubular portion 7 is mounted. On the side, this tubular portion carries a control lever 8 permitting turning of the portion 7 about the horizontal shaft of the valve housing.

The cylindrical member 6 of the valve housing comprises an oblique cam track 9, cf. Figure 2, in which a guide pin 10 projects. This guide pin 10 is secured to the tubular portion 7 by means of a nut 11.The tubular portion may thus be turned a predetermined angle corresponding to the length of the cam track 9, and during the turning the tubular portion 7 is raised and lowered, respectively.

A vaive spindle 12 is mounted in the housing 1.

This valve spindle comprises at the bottom a valve member 13 co-operating with the seat 3. The valve spindle comprises a shoulder 14. The lowermost end of a fastening spring 15 abuts this shoulder 14, and the uppermost end of said fastening spring abuts a shoulder of the valve housing 1.

At the top, the spindle 12 comprises a circumferential groove 16, in which some balls 17 surrounded by a holding means in the form of a locking hub 18 are mounted. At the top this locking hub 18 is connected to a drawbar 19, the upper end of which is connected to an armature of a magnet coil receiving current through conduits 21. A compression spring 23 is situated between the locking hub 18 and a front of the activating device 22.

The locking hub 18 is mounted in a bearing 24 comprising at the top a flange 25 projecting outwards and abutting a front of the tubular portion 7.

At the bottom, the bearing 24 comprises a flange 26 projecting inwards and extending under the balls 17.

The liquid supply pipeS is connected to a liquid flowmeter adapted to transmit an electrical pulse to the activating device 22 when a predetermined amount of liquid has been supplied to the inlet 4 of the valve housing.

The valve functions in the following manner: Figure 1 illustrates the starting position of the valve, wherein the outlet 3 is closed. At releasing of an amount of liquid, the lever 8 is turned and thereby the tubular portion 7 in such a manner that said tubular portion is raised relative to the valve housing 1, cf. above. Through this movement the bearing 24 is simultaneously raised, and on account of the flange 26 the locking hub 18 is also raised which on account of the balls 17 implies that the valve spindle 12 is raised too. As a result, the valve member 13 is raised from the seat 3, and the valve is open. During the upward movement of the spindle, the spring 15 is compressed.When a predetermined amount of liquid has passed the supply pipe 5, the flowmeter (not shown in the drawing) transmits an electrical pulse activating the magnet coil of the device 22, whereby the bar 19 is raised. At the same time the locking hub 18 is raised in such a mannerthatthe balls 17 are released and may be radially pressed out of the groove 16 when the fastening spring 15 presses the spindle 12 downwards. In this manner the outlet 3 is closed, and the valve is returned to the starting position by the user turning the tubular portion 7 by means of the lever 8 in such a manner that it is returned to the starting position due to the projection 10 and the cam track 9. The returning movement of the locking hub 18 is performed by means of the spring 23, whereby the balls 17 are returned into the groove 16.

The flowmeter may be connected to a digital counter in such a manner that the amount of liquid released for a predetermined period may be registered, thus permitting a control of the liquid consumption.

By means of the control lever 8, the passage between the valve member 13 and the valve seat 3 may be regulated in such a manner that the user may throttle the liquid outlet. In this manner it is possible to perform the so-called "decorating" of the beer glass when it is a question of a beer draining valve.

If desired, the activating device 19,21, 22, and the spring 23 may be removed and replaced by a compression spring, whereby the valve is converted to a purely manual operation.

Claims

1. An automatical drain valve, preferably for aerated beverages such as beer, and comprising a stationary housing with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, in which a valve seat is provided, which co-operateswith a valve member on a spindle located in the housing, said spindle being connected to a manually operatable control means adapted to move the spindle away from the seat during the tension of a fastening spring and back to the seat again, and whereby an activating device is adapted to release the spindle in such a manner that the valve member is forced against the seat, characterised in that a linear actuating member such as an electromagnet or a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder-piston device controlled by a liquid flowmeter is provided, said electromagnet in order to counteract a return spring, being adapted to displace a drawbar and a locking hub located about the spindle and cooperating with said drawbar, out of a position, in which said electromagnet locks the spindle of the manually operatable control means, into a position, in which the spindle may freely approach the valve seat by means of the fastening spring.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1, whereby the manually operatable means comprises a tubular portion pivotably mounted on the housing, said portion being provided with a control lever and connected in such a manner to the housing through a cam track that turning of the tubular portion relative to the housing implies a raising and lowering, respectively, of the tubular portion, characterised in that the electromagnet is located at the top of the tubular portion, and that the tubular portion comprises an internal bearing, in which the locking hub is situated, said internal bearing comprising a flange projecting inwards and abutting the underside of a piurality of balls, which in the closed position of the valve are freely located in a circumferential groove adjacent the uppermost end of the spindle in such a manner that they are kept against said groove through a circumferential, bell-shaped recess at the lowermost end of the locking hub abutting the top side of the portions of the balls projecting from the groove.

3. An automatical drain valve substantially as described above with reference to the accompanying drawing.