GB2305709A

GB2305709A - Piolt operated valve assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2305709A
Application number: GB9519783A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chai-Tien Wu
Original assignee: WU CHAI TIEN
Current assignee: WU CHAI TIEN
Priority date: 1995-09-28
Filing date: 1995-09-28
Publication date: 1997-04-16
Also published as: GB9519783D0

Abstract

A pilot operated valve assembly includes a rigid casing (10), an expandable and retractable hollow valve body (20) and a control device. Casing (10) includes a peripheral wall (11), and an inlet (13) and an outlet (12) formed through peripheral wall (11) to define a valve-accommodating space therebetween. The valve body (20) made of a flexible water-impermeable material is disposed in the valve-accommodating space such that the valve body (20) cooperates with an inner surface of the peripheral wall (11) to define a clearance (22) to permit flow of water from the inlet (13) to outlet (12). The control device can be actuated to expand the valve body (22) to different degrees in order to reduce the clearance (22), until no clearance (22) occurs between the valve body (20) and the peripheral wall (11), thereby closing sealingly the inlet (13A) and the outlet (12A) to prevent water flow therebetween.

Description

TITLE: PILOT OPERATED VALVE ASSEMBLY The invention relates to a valve assembly, more particularly to a pilot operated valve assembly employed in a large-size water pipe so as to control the flow of water therethrough.

A conventional valve assembly is generally installed on a pipe and is operable manually so as to control the flow of water therethrough. A large-size pipe requires a larger valve. Generally too much energy is required to operate the large valve, thereby inconveniencing the operator.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pilot operated valve assembly which is adapted to be installed in a large-size water pipe and which can be operated with ease so as to control flow of water through the pipe.

Accordingly, a pilot operated valve assembly of the present invention includes a rigid casing, a flexible and expandable hollow valve body and a control device.

The rigid casing includes a peripheral wall, an inlet and an outlet which are formed through the peripheral wall so as to define a valve-accommodating space therebetween. The valve body is made of a waterimpermeable material and is disposed in the valveaccommodating space of the casing in such a manner that the valve body cooperates with an inner surface of the peripheral wall to define a clearance therebetween so as to permit flow of water from the inlet to the outlet through the clearance. The control device can be actuated to expand the valve body to different degrees in order to reduce the clearance, until no clearance occurs between the valve body and the peripheral wall, thereby closing sealingly the inlet and the outlet to prevent water flow therebetween.

The pilot operated valve assembly can be operated with ease and is suitable to be employed in a largesize pipe.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a pilot operated valve assembly of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a rigid casing employed in the pilut operated valve assembly of the present invention; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the rigid casing of Fig. 2, illustrating an interior thereof; Figure 4 is a sectional view of the rigid casing of Figure 2, showing the flow direction of water therethrough; and Figure 5 is a sectional view of the rigid casing of Fig. 2, illustrating how water is prevented from flowing through the casing.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the preferred embodiment of a pilot operated valve assembly of the present invention includes a rigid casing 10, an expandable and retractable hollow cylindrical valve body 20 and a control device.

As illustrated, the rigid casing 10 includes a peripheral wall 11 with a vertical cylindrical middle section 110 and which has top and bottom portions covered securely by an upper lid 31 and a lower lid 32, and an inlet 13A and an outlet 12A which are formed through the peripheral wall 11 so as to define a valveaccommodating space therebetween. The valve body 20 is made of a flexible water-impermeable material and is disposed in the valve-accommodating space of the casing 10, in such a manner that the valve body 20 cooperates with an inner surface of the peripheral wall 11 to define a clearance 22 therebetween so as to permit flow of water from the inlet 13A to the outlet 12A through the clearance 22 (see Fig. 4).The rigid casing 10 further includes an inlet conduit 13 integrally formed with the vertical cylindrical middle section 110 of the peripheral wall 11 of the casing 10 and communicated fluidly with the inlet 13A of the casing 10, and an outlet conduit 12 integrally formed with the vertical cylindrical middle section 110 of the peripheral wall 11 of the casing 10 and communicated fluidly with the outlet 12A of the casing 10. The inlet conduit 13 includes a wall body which defines the inlet conduit 13 and which has an outlet opening 15 formed through the wall body of the inlet conduit 13. The outlet conduit 12 includes a wall body which defines the outlet conduit 12 and which has an inlet opening 14 formed through the wall body of the outlet conduit 12.

The control device includes a three-way pipe 40 and a valve unit installed on the three-way pipe 40. The three-way pipe 40 has a first pipe section 401 communicated fluidly with the outlet opening 15 of the inlet conduit 13 so as to permit entry of water into the first pipe section 401 of the three-way pipe 40 via the outlet opening 15 of the inlet conduit 13, a second pipe section 402 communicated fluidly with an interior of the valve body 20 via an opening 33 of the upper lid 31, a third pipe section 403 communicated fluidly with the inlet opening 14 of the outlet conduit 12, and a pipe juncture 405 among the first, second and three pipe sections 401, 402 403.The valve unit includes a check valve 41 installed within the first pipe section 401 of the three-way pipe 40 so as to limit water to flow from the outlet opening 15 of the inlet conduit 13 to the juncture 405, and a two-way valve 42 which is installed in the third pipe section 403 of the threeway pipe 40 and which can be actuated to control amount of water flowing from the first pipe section 401 to the third pipe section 402. The two-way valve 42 can be actuated so as to expand the valve body 20 to different degrees in order to reduce the clearance 22, thus adjusting amount of water flowing therethrough. When the two-way valve 42 is closed so as to stop water flow from the inlet conduit 13 to the outlet conduit 12 through the three-way pipe 40 in order to limit water to flow from the first pipe section 401 of the threeway pipe 40 to the third pipe section 403, the valve body 20 expands radially from the position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 5 so as to abut against the inner surface of the peripheral wall 11, thereby closing sealingly the inlet and outlet 13A, 12A of the casing 10.

From the above explanation it can be appreciated that when the pilot operated valve assembly of the present invention is installed in a large-type pipe, the amount of water flowing the pipe can be conveniently adjusted by easy actuation of the pilot operated valve.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A valve assembly comprising: a rigid casing including a peripheral wall, an inlet and an outlet which are formed through the peripheral wall so as to define a valve-accommodating space therebetween; an expandable and retractable hollow valve body made of a flexible water-impermeable material and disposed in the valve-accommodating space in such a manner that the valve body cooperates with an inner surface of the peripheral wall to define a clearance therebetween so as to permit flow of water from the inlet to the outlet through the clearance; and a control device capable of being actuated to expand the valve body to different degrees in order to reduce the clearance, until no clearance occurs between the valve body and the peripheral wall, thereby closing sealingly the inlet and outlet to prevent water flow therebetween.

2. The valve assembly as defined in Claim 1, wherein each of the peripheral wall and the hollow valve body is cylindrical, the rigid casing further including an inlet conduit coupled with the peripheral wall of the casing and communicated fluidly with the inlet of the casing, and an outlet conduit coupled with the peripheral wall of the casing and communicated fluidly with the outlet of the casing, the inlet conduit including a wall body which defines the inlet conduit and which has an outlet opening formed through the wall body of the inlet conduit, the outlet conduit including a wall body which defines the outlet conduit and which has an inlet opening formed through the wall body of the outlet conduit, the control device including a three-way pipe and a valve unit installed on the three-way pipe, the three-way pipe having a first pipe section communicated fluidly with the outlet opening of the inlet conduit so as to permit entry of water into the first pipe section of the three-way pipe via the outlet opening of the inlet conduit, a second pipe section communicated fluidly with an interior of the valve body, and a third pipe section communicated fluidly with the inlet opening of the outlet conduit, the valve unit being capable of being actuated to adjust amount of water flowing from the first pipe section of the three-way pipe into the valve body through the second pipe section of the three-way pipe so as to expand the valve body.

3. The valve assembly as defined in Claim 2, wherein the three-way pipe has a pipe juncture among the first, second and third pipe sections, the valve unit including a check valve installed within the first pipe section of the three-way pipe so as to limit water to flow from the outlet opening of the inlet conduit to the juncture, and a two-way valve installed in the third pipe section of the three-way pipe and capable of being actuated to control amount of water flowing from the first pipe section to the second pipe section, the two-way valve being capable of being closed so as to prevent water flow from the inlet conduit to the outlet conduit through the three-way pipe in order to limit water to flow from the first pipe section to the valve body.

4. The valve assembly substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.