JP2005199025A - Fluid control mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mechanism which can perform a partitioning function, a pressure regulating function, or a flow direction control function of partitioning two different fluids of a same kind or different kinds, or a combination of them. <P>SOLUTION: Using force of fluid in high pressure side to push a sphere and balance of gravity on a sphere placed on a passage sloping down, a pressure angle is established at the sphere so that fluid stream is sealed when required. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mechanism for controlling the pressure, flow rate and flowing direction of a fluid.

Gases and liquids have the same characteristics as hobos and are treated as fluids in the engineering field. There is still no mechanism that can effectively prevent the spilling phenomenon that occurs during cooking in a pan. Since it is very convenient for the present invention to use the spilling phenomenon that occurs in cooking pots for the explanation of the principle of action, the background art will be described using cooking work with cooking pots.
In FIG. 1, when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the pan is P, when P becomes large enough to lift the lid, the lid starts to move and simmering begins.

In FIG. 1, the condition where the spilling occurs is that the weight of the lid is Wkg, and the pressure receiving area where the lid receives pressure P from the cooking space is Acm ² , the lid is lifted by the force calculated by PxA, If it becomes PxA, the lid will be lifted and the conditions for spilling will be met.
The market sells lid pots of various materials, but iron enamel, stainless steel, and aluminum are the most commonly used materials.

When the lid on the market was investigated, the mass of the lid was about 1.1-1.3 kg for iron enamel and about 0.3-0 for stainless steel, for example, when the pan has an inner diameter of about 200 mm. .4 kg, aluminum was approximately 0.1-0.2 kg.
Since the pressure-receiving area where the lid receives P is calculated to be approximately 300 cm ² , the pressure coefficient Po is calculated as follows by taking an intermediate value of the mass of the lid.

In case of iron enamel Po = 1.20 / 300 = 0.004
In the case of stainless steel Po = 0.35 / 300 = 0.0012
In the case of aluminum Po = 0.15 / 300 = 0.0005

That is, in the case of an iron enamel, the pressure coefficient Po suggests that the lid is lifted when the pressure becomes about 3 mm in terms of mercury. Similarly, it is suggested that the thickness is about 0.9 mm for stainless steel and about 0.4 mm for aluminum.
It can be seen that 1.1 kgf / cm ² , which is the object of control of Patent Publication No. 10-23968, that is, the mercury column conversion of the internal / external pressure difference is much smaller than about 76 mm.

Next, the conditions under which the ball is lifted by the pressure P will be considered.
If the diameter of the hole is 1 cm, the diameter of the ball is 1.5 cm, and a steel ball having a specific gravity of 8 is used, the mass of the ball is about 0.014 kg, and the pressure coefficient Po required to lift the ball of this mass Is calculated as 0.014 / 0.785≈0.018 from P = w / a, and can be compared as follows.

Since the lid is lifted before the ball is lifted in this way, the ball cannot be used as a means for preventing boiling.
In order to improve the situation, there are methods of reducing the ball diameter or reducing the specific gravity of the material of the used ball. If the ball diameter is very small, it can be used for some iron enamel applications. For example, in the case of an aluminum pan, it must be a light sphere that has a specific gravity of 1 or less and can float on water.
There is no simple method for automatically adjusting the pressure of a low-pressure fluid of 1 atm or less.

From this, it can be seen that a completely new idea is required to use the steel balls as a means for preventing spilling.
Various valves such as flapper valves, butterfly valves, ball valves, etc. are used to control the fluid partition and flow rate. Generally, these valves do not have a pressure control function, so pressure control is performed automatically. The emergence of a mechanism with the function to do was desired.

Japanese Patent Application No. 5-277031 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-51213 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23968

  To provide a mechanism capable of partitioning two different same or different fluids, either a pressure control function and a flow direction, or a combination thereof.

  By using the balance between the force of the high-pressure fluid pushing the sphere and the gravity applied to the sphere placed on the descending inclined flow path, the sphere is made to partition the fluid when necessary.

  The main effect is that it has both a fluid partition function and a pressure control function. The size ranges from small to large, and the pressure range that can be handled is wide. Especially for low-pressure applications, there is no effective technical countermeasure currently available. It is thought that the effect is large and contributes to a high rate improvement in the field of fluid handling.

  In order to explain the main part of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a central cross-sectional view of a pan in order to explain the operating principle of a cooking pan with a spill prevention device. In FIG. 1, when the pan body 1 is heated during cooking, the inside of the pan, that is, the temperature of the cooking space 3 and the food to be cooked rises, and the internal pressure P1 of the cooking space 3 is increased. It becomes higher than the outside atmospheric pressure P2.

  Since the lid 2 and the pan body 1 are hermetically sealed, when the pressure difference P between the inside and outside is P = P1-P2, the lid 2 starts to move when P becomes large enough to lift the lid 2; Boiled water and accompanying food will begin to flow out of the pan, and boiling will begin.

The sealing degree of the pan body 1 and the lid 2 is inferior to the highest sealing degree that can be reached industrially at the present time, but the sealing function is enhanced by sealing the gap with water. In addition, since the application does not require an extremely high degree of sealing, it can be assumed that the pan body 1 and the lid 2 form a sealed space called a cooking space 3 in practice.

In FIG. 1, the condition for causing boiling is the weight of the lid 2 being Wkg, and the pressure receiving area where the lid receives pressure P from the cooking space 3 is Acm ² , the lid 2 is lifted by the force calculated by PxA. . If W <PxA, the pressure in the cooking space 3 lifts the lid, and a gap is formed between the pan body 1 and the lid 2, resulting in boiling.

  As mentioned in the background section above, when steel spheres are used, the specific gravity of the steel is large and the mass of the sphere is excessive. Spheres cannot be widely applied to cooking pots.

  It is technically possible to use a light sphere using a material with a very small specific gravity or a hollow sphere for some cooking pots. When the fluid to be handled is a liquid, the apparent specific gravity of the sphere must be larger than the specific gravity of the liquid, but when the fluid is a gas, it can be said that there is substantially no such restriction.

If cost is neglected and an optimum method is selected in terms of technical performance and limited to the use of such a cooking pan, it is most desirable to combine a low specific gravity sphere with the method of the present invention.
Although it is inexpensive like a steel ball according to the present invention, it can be easily applied to general applications easily using a sphere having a relatively large specific gravity.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the lid 2 prepared in a model manner for explaining one principle of operation of the present invention and showing the shape of the gas flow path 5 discharged from the cooking space 3 to the outside of the lid 2. It is.
As shown in the figure, a hole-like flow path 5 is provided to freely allow gas to flow between the cooking space 3 and the outside of the pan, and the flow of gas from the cooking space 3 is sealed in the flow path 5. In order to do this, the sphere 6 is inserted from the outside of the flow path 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the trajectory indicated by the center of the cross section in the length direction of the channel 5 is a straight line, a curve, or a combination of a straight line and a curve. The inserted sphere 6 stops inside the flow path 5 at a diameter smaller than that of the sphere 6 and seals the gas coming from the cooking space 3 there. The spherical body 6 comes into contact with the flow path 5 and seals the gas when defined as the flow path 5 and the upper sealing contact portion 7 and the lower sealing contact portion 8 in FIGS.

The upper sealing contact portion 7 and the lower sealing contact portion 8 are on the same circle, and the diameter thereof is smaller than the sphere diameter of the sphere 6.
The sphere 6 is removed from the cooking space in the direction of the pressure angle 12 formed by a line connecting the center of the circle formed by the upper sealing contact portion 7 and the lower sealing contact portion 8 and the center of the sphere 6 at the gas sealing position. Receive pressure from incoming gas.

  When the sphere 6 is simply placed in the hole 4 as shown in FIG. 1, that is, the pressure angle corresponds to 90 degrees or 90 degrees, the pressure P required to lift the sphere 6 is The size required to lift 100% is necessary, but by making the pressure angle 12 smaller than 90 degrees, the pressure required to move the sphere 6 and discharge the gas is reduced.

  In other words, the sphere 6 made of a material with a large specific gravity is easy to function, can function even with a large sphere 6, and realizes a boil-out prevention device that can also handle a pan using a very light material such as aluminum. It means making it possible to do.

The effect is recognized if the pressure angle 12 is theoretically less than 90 degrees, but the force vector for moving the sphere 6 is directly related to the true value of the SIN, which is a trigonometric function, and is in the range of 70 degrees to less than 90 degrees. However, the substantial effect is very limited, and an economic meaning cannot be recognized in consideration of the processing complexity that cannot be avoided in the present invention at an angle in this range.
The minimum value is theoretically around 0 degrees, but because of the influence of rotational friction of the sphere, a problem occurs rather at 0 degrees, so the practical minimum angle is set to 0.5 degrees.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which the gas sealing position is created in the flow path in a state where the sphere 6 is different from the case of FIGS. In FIG. 4, the sphere 6 is in contact with the inner surface of the flow path shape formed by a part of the virtual cone 13 having the apex angle R degree indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, and includes the upper sealing contact portion 7 and the lower sealing contact portion 8. The sphere 6 and the flow path 5 are in contact with each other on one circle. In this case, the angle formed by the center line of the cone 13 with respect to the horizontal plane is synonymous with the pressure angle 12 in the example of FIG.

If you want to reduce the pressure angle 12 in order to increase the sensitivity to pressure, the pressure angle 12 can be reduced to 1/2 of the cone angle R, so you want to understand that the sensitivity can be increased infinitely in theory. However, if the cone angle 13 is reduced, the influence of the processing error of the cone shape of the sphere 6 increases, and the sealing position of the sphere 6 moves greatly, so there is a practical limit.
By using the mechanism as described above, by setting the pressure angle 12 to be so using the sphere 6 by replacing the outside air with the low pressure fluid and the gas in the cooking space 3 with the high pressure fluid, It can be seen that two fluids, high pressure or low pressure, can be automatically controlled to a predetermined pressure value.

The optimum value of the pressure angle 12 is determined in consideration of the effect of the size of the pan, the weight of the lid 2 and the weight and size of the sphere 6 and many other factors.
The flow path 5 facing outward from the lower contact portion 8 corresponds to the nature and pressure of the fluid so that when the sphere 6 moves along the flow path 5, the center of the sphere 6 is always moved upward against gravity. The best straight line 10 or curved line 11 shape is set.

The pressure control mechanism that requires maintaining the pressure of one of the two low-pressure and high-pressure fluids at a predetermined constant pressure is the above-described example of a cooking pan. If the side is a cooking space, it can be handled in exactly the same way.
When the pressure on the high pressure side is to be maintained at a certain value, if the pressure to be maintained is exceeded, the force that exceeds the force pushing the sphere determined by the pressure angle 12 set in advance due to the pressure of the fluid flow from the high pressure side Is applied from the high pressure side, the sphere 6 moves to the low pressure side, the sphere 6 is unsealed, and the high pressure fluid flows to the low pressure side, so that the maximum pressure of the high pressure side fluid is automatically maintained. I can do it.

  Similarly, when it is desired to maintain the pressure on the low pressure side at a certain value, the fluid is replenished from the high pressure side when the sphere 6 unlocks the fluid flow from the high pressure side when the pressure falls below the pressure to be maintained. It can be used as a mechanism that automatically maintains the minimum pressure of the fluid.

Here, a new definition is added to specify the position.
In the flow path 5 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and the like, the left side of the upper and lower contact points 7 and 8 is defined as the front, and the right side is defined as the rear.
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the sphere box 14 when the front side of the flow path 5, which has been regarded as the low pressure side in the above description, is used as the high pressure side and the sphere 6 is used as the gate valve.
In FIG. 5, the flow path 5 is provided with a groove 20 that is formed to fit the protruding portions 24 of the shaft protruding on both sides of the sphere 6 shown in FIG. 7.

The groove 20 is long enough not to cut the sealing line formed by the circle formed by the sphere 6 and the lower part of the flow path 5 and the upper sealing contact portions 7 and 8 and to secure a sufficient amount of movement of the sphere. The position and dimensions are determined so that the bottom 6 always keeps contact with the flow path when 6 moves through the flow path.

The sphere shown in FIG. 7 has a shape with a shaft as shown in the figure, and the protruding portion 24 of this shaft is inserted into the groove 20.
Since this shaft has a structure for rotating the shaft inside the sphere, the sphere 22 with a drive shaft is formed.
Since the diameter of the circle formed by the sphere 22 with drive shaft and the lower and upper sealing contact portions 7 and 8 of the flow path 5 is smaller than the sphere diameter of the sphere 22 with drive shaft, there is no problem in attaching such an axis. Absent.
The drive shaft 23 can give necessary rotation to the drive shaft 23 inside the sphere 22 with the drive shaft by an electric motor driven by a battery held inside the sphere 22 with the drive shaft or a power source taken from outside.

In the case of having a battery inside, a portion for storing the battery is prepared in the sphere 22 with the drive shaft.
In the case of a structure having a battery inside, the drive shaft 23 is operated wirelessly from the outside, and thus is restricted by the material of the sphere and the material used for the flow path 5.

If the flow path 5 is made of an unsuitable material such as iron, a structure such as a window is provided using a material that is not unsuitable, and the structure is such that it can be operated wirelessly from there.
When an external power source is used, it can be dealt with by taking the electric wire from the outside of the flow channel 5 to the inner surface of the flow channel 5 and compactly collecting the electric wire around the drive shaft 23.

The drive shaft 23 has a structure in which at least a protrusion 24 from the spherical surface is pushed into the sphere and can be smoothly inserted into the flow path 5.
There are many ways to make such a structure, but for example, the combination of spline grooves and springs is the most popular of such methods.

The drive shaft 23 is inserted into the groove 20 at the protruding portion of the drive shaft 23 and is rotated so that it can move along the length direction of the groove 20 of the drive shaft 23. Has been taken. One such means is a structure in which, for example, a pinion is prepared in the protruding portion 24 and a rack is prepared in the groove 20.
The drive shaft 23 may be fixed to the sphere portion of the sphere 22 with the drive shaft or may be rotatable.

The shaft end surface 25 of the drive shaft 23 has provisions corresponding to a sensing function for confirming the position of the shaft end surface 25 installed in the groove 20.
FIG. 6 is an upper cross-sectional view of the flow path 5, in which the groove 20 has a structure for converting the rotation of the drive shaft described in the previous drive shaft 23 into movement along the flow path 5. For example, a rack as described above is processed.
A sensing function for detecting the position of the shaft end surface is prepared on a surface corresponding to the shaft end surface of the groove.

  When the fluid coming from the rear is sealed as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the seal is to be released to flow forward by a necessary amount, and the initial set pressure of the fluid in front is set to the initial value. When it is necessary to operate at a low value, the spherical body 22 with a drive shaft is moved to release the seal and to act as a gate valve, and further, the flow rate is adjusted by moving it by a necessary amount of movement. Can also be used for purposes.

Similarly, if there is a high-pressure fluid in the front and you want to release the seal and flow backward, move the spherical body 22 with the drive shaft to release the seal, and move it by the necessary amount of movement, thereby acting as a gate valve. You can hold it or let it flow in the opposite direction to the previous example.
The result of monitoring the rotation of the drive shaft 23 and its position can be electrically processed and notified to a remote location by a transmitter, and conversely the necessary rotation of the drive shaft 23 from a remote location. You can also specify the direction and the required number of rotations.

The second embodiment is a sphere with a drive shaft, but in this embodiment, the sphere with a shaft 26 is not driven. The sphere 26 with a shaft has the same appearance as that of FIG. 7 used in the previous embodiment because the appearance in a schematic view is the same as that in FIG.
The shaft 27 has a structure in which at least the protruding portion 24 from the spherical surface is pushed into the spherical body and is smoothly inserted into the flow path 5. The shaft may or may not be rotatable with respect to the sphere body.

The protruding portion 24 from the sphere of the shaft 27 is adapted to fit the rope-like shaft 27 well, and the rope 28 has a hole 29 connected to the groove 21 from the outside as shown in FIG. You can be guided through and pulled out from the outside by the required amount.
The relationship between the pulled length and the position of the shaft 27 and the monitoring result of the position can be handled in exactly the same manner as in the example of the second embodiment.

  For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 8 describes the adjustment of the level of water in two tanks that are modeled at different pressure levels, which is true for fluids in general.

  In FIG. 8, the low-pressure tank 30 is required to maintain a certain minimum water level. When the water level falls, water is supplied from the tank 31, and when the specified water level is reached, the supply is stopped. . In the figure, a hose 32 connects the spherical box 14 and the low-pressure tank 30, and a hose 33 connects the high-pressure tank 31 and the spherical box 14. In the figure, when the water level of the low-pressure tank 30 decreases, the sphere 6 is unsealed and water is supplied from the high-pressure tank 31.

When the water level in the low-pressure tank 30 recovers to the specified value, the supply is stopped. In this way, the water level of the low-pressure tank 30 is kept constant.
FIG. 8 can also be used for the purpose of maintaining the maximum pressure of the high-pressure tank 31.
In the figure, when the water level of the high-pressure tank 31 rises above a specified value, the sphere 6 is unsealed and water is discharged from the high-pressure tank 31. When the water level of the high-pressure tank 31 falls and reaches a specified value, the sphere 6 is sealed again and the water level is maintained at the specified value.

  An apparatus using such a principle can have many practical applications such as a machine oil supply apparatus. In such an apparatus, since many disturbance factors such as the processing error of the flow path 5 and the installation environment of the spherical box 14 influence the final result, all such disturbance factors affect the sensitivity of the apparatus. In order to completely remove the influence, the spherical box 14 is provided with an angle adjusting means for correctly fine-tuning the installation angle of the spherical box 14 with respect to the horizontal line 35, and is indicated by an angle 24 in the figure. As shown, the final installation angle needs to be fine tuned. By adjusting the final angle, the pressure angle 12 of the product that has absorbed the accumulation of various errors measured by the spherical box 14 alone is adjusted so as to be the pressure angle 12 that actually acts, which is most required for the application, Even when the pressure difference between the two fluids is small, the pressure can be adjusted accurately.

  FIG. 9 is an example in which the apparatus of the present invention is mounted on a pan knob, and an example in which a spherical box 14 is integrated with the knob 9 will be described.

  Inside the knob 9, a sphere 6 in which the relationship between the flow path 5 and the sphere 6 is set based on the above-described principle is accommodated in the sphere box 14, and its upper part is opened to allow gas to escape. The knob 9 includes a plug 15 so that the sphere 6 does not escape from the sphere box 14, and a discharge port 16 for discharging the gas discharged from the cooking space 3 via the flow path 5 to the outside. The plug can be opened, closed, or detached so that the inside can be cleaned as necessary.

  A part of the gas discharged from the flow path 5 is liquefied, so that it is stored inside the sphere box 14. However, when the sphere 6 is lifted up, it returns to the cooking space 3 through the gap. Will not accumulate.

  In FIG. 9, the shape of each part is simplified for easy explanation of the application of the basic principle of the present invention, but the actual shape of the product takes into account the difficulty of processing, ease of use and design. Should be decided.

FIG. 10 shows an example in which the spherical box 14 is replaceable in a cartridge type and is mechanically attached to the knob 9.
In FIG. 10, a spherical box cartridge 17 in which the relationship between the flow path 5 and the spherical body 6 is set based on the principle described above is accommodated in the knob 9 inside the spherical box cartridge 17.
The spherical box cartridge 17 is fixed to the knob 9 by an appropriate method such as press-fitting or using a screw.

In the figure, the gas is discharged from the cooking space 3 to the outside through the flow path 5 and the exhaust port 18.
The spherical box cartridge 17 may be independently installed in another place as needed regardless of the knob.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which a plastic-made knob 9 is attached by tightening with a bolt 19 with a hole from the inside of the lid 2, and a spherical box 14 is provided in the knob 9.
Since the lid 2 has various structures, if the structure is different, the application method of the present invention is naturally different. However, FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show only a few examples. Absent.
Obviously, different types of pots with different shapes and parts designs will require different ways of application if the optimum is pursued.

  The principles of the present invention have opened up the possibility of entirely new automatic fluid pressure control. In addition to measures to prevent spilling as described in detail in the specification, the range of application is further expanded by using materials with a low specific gravity for the sphere, or in combination with a sphere with a shaft. It is thought that it will have a big influence on how to handle the fluid in the future.

It is center sectional drawing of the pan for demonstrating the mechanism of boiling over generation | occurrence | production. It is sectional drawing which shows the fluid sealing position in the flow path of a spherical body. It is sectional drawing which shows the fluid sealing position in the flow path of a spherical body. It is sectional drawing which shows the fluid sealing position in the flow path of a spherical body. It is sectional drawing of a spherical box. It is XX sectional drawing of the upper part of a flow path. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sphere with a drive shaft and a sphere with a shaft. It is upper part sectional drawing of a flow path. It is center sectional drawing of the knob which shows the spherical body box in a knob. It is sectional drawing of the spherical box cartridge integrated in the knob. It is sectional drawing of a knob provided with the spherical box attached with the bolt with a hole.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pan body 2 Lid 3 Cooking space 4 Hole 5 Channel 6 Ball or sphere 7 Ball and sphere upper sealing contact part 8 Sphere and channel lower sealing contact part 9 Knob 10 Straight line 11 Curve 12 Pressure angle 13 Virtual Cone 14 Spherical box 15 Plug 16 Exhaust port 17 Spherical box cartridge 18 Exhaust port 19 Bolt with hole 20 Shaft 21 Groove 22 Sphere with drive shaft 23 Drive shaft 24 Projection portion 25 Shaft end surface 26 Ball with shaft 27 Shaft 28 Rope 29 Hole 30 Low pressure Tank 31 High pressure tank 32 Hose 33 Hose 34 Angle adjustment device 35 Horizontal line

Claims (5)

  A mechanism for controlling the maximum pressure of a high-pressure fluid or the minimum pressure of a low-pressure fluid to a predetermined value with two high-pressure and low-pressure fluids of the same or different types as high-pressure fluid and the front-side low-pressure fluid. When a sphere is inserted from the low-pressure fluid side of the flow path to partition each fluid in the flow path connecting these two fluids, it moves backward along the downward slope of the flow path due to gravity in the flow path. Stops at the diameter of the flow path smaller than the sphere and seals the high-pressure fluid, and at the position of the sphere at the position and the center of the sphere formed by the portion that seals the fluid that is in contact with the flow path The pressure angle formed by the line connecting the centers with the horizontal line is not less than 0.5 degrees and not more than 70 degrees, the pressure on the high pressure side increases, and the sphere moves to the low pressure side to release the fluid seal, or the low pressure side The pressure of the sphere will decrease and the sphere will move to the low pressure side. The flow path is set so that when the sphere moves forward for any reason, the center trajectory following the bottom surface of the flow path always faces upward against gravity. Fluid control mechanism characterized by This is a mechanism equipped with a basic mechanism, and a spherical protrusion is provided on the sphere, and a groove in which the protrusion is fitted is provided in the flow path so that the sphere can be guided forward and backward in the flow path. In order to control the flow rate and flow direction of the fluid by controlling the position of the sphere using this structure, when the front is a high pressure fluid, the sphere is moved forward and the seal is released. When the fluid in the front flows backward, and when the fluid in the rear is a high-pressure fluid and the fluid is to be forwarded, the sphere is moved forward so that the seal can be released and the fluid in the rear can flow forward. A fluid control device. A cooking pot used with a lid equipped with a device that applies this mechanism.

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