JP2007056920A - Ball valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball valve that does not open unexpectedly by vibration even in the case of using the valve mounted to a pipe where strong vibration is generated by and engine and the like. <P>SOLUTION: A stem 6, fixed at an upper end of a ball 5 provided in a main body 1, is rotatably inserted to a cylinder part 1a protruding from a main body 1 and supported. A tip end part of a lever handle 8 is engaged with an angular shaft part 6a of the stem 6 protruding from the cylinder part 1a in a vertically movable manner and the ball 5 is rotated to an open/close position by a rotation operation of the lever handle 8. In an upper end of the cylinder part 1a, recessed parts 9, 10 for holding the lever handle 8 at the open/close position of the valve are provided with an angular interval of a right angle and a chevron-shape projecting face 11 is formed between these recessed parts 9, 10. A valve open state and a valve close state are securely held by always pressing a lower end face of the lever handle 8 to an upper end face of the cylinder part 1a by a coil spring 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball valve suitable for being disposed in a pipe where vibration is mainly generated.

Conventionally, as a structure of a ball valve, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, fluid inlets and outlets are provided coaxially on both sides, and these inlets are provided in the center. And a main body in which a ball penetrating a flow hole that communicates between the outlet and the outlet, and a lower end integrally fixed to the upper end surface of the ball, and a central upper wall of the main body can be freely rotated. The stem consists of a penetrating and supported stem and a lever handle for turning this stem. The lever handle is opened and closed by turning it clockwise and counterclockwise within an angle range of 90 degrees. Those configured to perform valves are widely known.
JP-A-2-286811 JP-A-5-332462

  However, when the ball valve configured as described above is used as, for example, a valve for opening and closing a drain pipe of an automobile engine oil, the lever handle rotates unexpectedly due to vibration caused by engine operation or vibration of the automobile itself during traveling. There is a risk of oil leakage due to the valve opening state.

  Such a situation is caused by a mechanism that holds the lever handle in a stopped state at the valve closing position or the valve opening position, for example, a V-shaped cross section between the valve closing position and the valve opening position of the lever handle around the stem insertion portion of the main body. A semi-circular shaped locking recess, and a small spherical body that detachably engages with the locking recess by the spring force of the spring at the lower end of the lever handle. However, depending on the structure of the stem insertion part in the main body, it may be difficult to provide the locking recess.In particular, the lever handle has a hole or the like in which a spring can be installed due to its thickness. It is difficult to provide.

  Moreover, even if such a mechanism can be provided, the spring force of the spring cannot be adjusted, so that the lever handle cannot be rotated smoothly or the spring breaks. Due to the deterioration of the force, the small sphere is likely to be unexpectedly detached from the locking recess, and when it is detached, there is a problem that the original locking state cannot be restored.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems. The object of the present invention is to reliably hold the valve open state and the valve closed state with a simple structure, and to smoothly perform the opening and closing operation. Even if the lever handle rotates from the open state to the closing direction or from the closed state to the opening direction due to shocking large vibrations, it can be reliably and immediately returned to the original position after a very slight rotation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball valve that can be automatically returned.

  In order to achieve the above object, the ball valve according to the present invention is provided with a fluid inlet and outlet on the both sides on the same axis as described in claim 1, and these inlet and outlet are provided in the center. A cylinder in which a stem integral with the ball is inserted in a direction perpendicular to the axial center of the inlet and the outlet in a main body formed by rotatably providing a ball having a through hole communicating between the outlets. In the ball valve that opens and closes the valve by rotating the ball integrally by rotating the lever handle by attaching a lever handle to the angular shaft portion of the stem protruding from the cylindrical portion On the projecting end surface of the cylindrical portion, recesses for holding the lever handle at the valve open / close position are formed at an angular interval of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the end surfaces between these recesses are convex in a mountain shape Formed on the surface, and further A dollar is attached to the angular shaft portion of the stem so as to be movable up and down and integrally rotatable, and the lever handle is always biased toward the end surface having the concave portion and the convex surface of the cylindrical portion by a spring force. And has a structure that is slidably received on the end surface in the circumferential direction.

  In the ball valve configured as described above, the invention according to claim 2 is provided such that a bottomed short tube portion surrounding the angular shaft portion of the stem is integrally provided at a tip end portion of the lever handle, and the bottomed short tube portion is provided. The angular shaft portion of the stem is inserted into and engaged with the square hole provided in the center portion of the bottom surface, so that the turning force of the lever handle is transmitted to the stem, and the coil spring is provided in the bottomed short tube portion. And both ends of the coil spring are interposed between the inner bottom surface of the bottomed short tube portion and the washer provided at the distal end portion of the angular shaft portion of the stem, and the washer is disposed at the distal end portion of the angular shaft portion. It is characterized by being received by a nut screwed into a formed screw part.

  Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 3, the bottom outer peripheral surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion of the lever handle is loosely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the opening end portion of the cylindrical portion of the main body through which the stem is inserted. Protruding end portions projecting in the direction of extending the lever handle on the outer peripheral surface of the bottom short tube portion, and further, recessed portions for holding the lever handle at the valve open / closed position on the end surface of the tube portion and these recessed portions A concave portion for holding the protruding portion at the open / close position of the valve facing the mountain-shaped convex surface provided therebetween and a mountain-shaped convex surface provided between the concave portions are provided. And

  According to the ball valve of the first aspect of the present invention, the lever handle is opened and closed at the protruding end surface of the cylindrical portion through which the stem integral with the ball is inserted upward from the center of the main body. Recesses to be held are formed at an angular interval of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction, the upper end surface between these recesses is formed in a mountain-shaped convex surface, and the lever handle is attached to the angular shaft portion of the stem The lever handle is always urged toward the upper end surface, which is the protruding end surface of the cylindrical portion, by the spring force, and slides in the circumferential direction on the end surface. Since it is received freely, the lever handle can be securely held in the open and closed positions with a simple structure, and it can be unexpectedly removed from the open state by a large vibration force. In the valve closing direction, or Even if the valve is to be rotated in the valve opening direction from the valve closed state, a mountain-shaped convex surface is formed between the recesses that hold the lever handle at the valve opening position and the valve closing position. The slanted surface can firmly prevent unexpected rotation of the lever handle, and can be immediately returned to the original position even if it is slightly rotated.

  Furthermore, the spring force can be easily adjusted by an external operation, so that the locking force between the lever handle and the recess can be finely adjusted, and the lever handle can be adjusted smoothly so that the turning operation can be performed smoothly. be able to.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bottomed short cylindrical portion surrounding the angular shaft portion of the stem is integrally provided at the distal end portion of the lever handle, and the corner provided at the center of the bottom surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion. The lever handle turning force is transmitted to the stem by inserting and engaging the angular shaft portion of the stem into the hole, so the lever handle turning force is transmitted to the stem via the bottomed short tube portion. In addition to being able to transmit reliably, the turning operation of the lever handle can be performed lightly without shaking.

  Further, a coil spring is disposed in the bottomed short tube portion, and both ends of the coil spring are interposed between the inner bottom surface of the bottomed short tube portion and the washer provided at the tip of the angular shaft portion of the stem. Since the upper surface of this washer is received by a nut screwed into a screw part formed at the tip of the square shaft part, a coil spring can be arranged using the inside of the bottomed short cylinder part Thus, the entire structure can be formed compactly, and the elastic force of the coil spring can be directly applied to the lever handle via the inner bottom surface of the bottomed short tube portion to It can always be pressed against the protruding end surface of the cylindrical portion, and the compression degree of the coil spring can be finely adjusted by the turning operation of the nut, and therefore, it is formed on the protruding end surface of the cylindrical portion. And locking force of the lever handle to serial recess, it is possible to adjust the rotational operation force of the lever handle easily and accurately.

  Further, according to the invention according to claim 3, since the bottom outer peripheral surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion in the lever handle is loosely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the opening end portion of the cylindrical portion of the main body through which the stem is inserted, The lever handle can be smoothly rotated around the axis of the stem using the inner peripheral surface of the tube portion as a guide, and in addition, it protrudes toward the outer surface of the bottomed short tube portion in the direction of extending the lever handle. On the other hand, apart from the concave portion and the convex surface provided between the concave portions on the end surface of the cylindrical portion, the lower surface of the protruding end portion is locked to hold the lever handle at the valve open / close position. Since the concave portion and the convex surface formed between these concave portions are provided, the lever handle and the protruding end portion are respectively connected through the convex surface at symmetrical positions on the end surface of the cylindrical portion of the main body with the stem as the center. The valve can be positioned at the open / close position.

  Therefore, the lever handle can be easily rotated around the stem without being bent and deformed, and the bottomed short cylinder portion of the lever handle is pressed with the thumb and the index finger pressed against the lever handle and the protruding end. Can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, and the opening / closing operation can be performed quickly and easily despite the formation of the convex surface between the recesses.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a valve chamber 2 provided in the central portion, and a fluid inlet port 3 and an outlet port 4 communicating with the valve chamber 2 on both sides are coaxial. In the main body provided on the top, a cylindrical portion 1a that communicates with the outside from the valve chamber 2 toward the upper vertical direction is integrally provided at the center of the upper wall surface of the valve chamber 2, A stem 6 having a lower end integrally fixed to the central portion of the upper end surface of the ball 5 disposed in the tube 5 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 1a so as to be orthogonal to the axial centers of the inlet 3 and the outlet 4. A ball 5 is disposed so as to be rotatable in the valve chamber 2 around the axis 6. The ball 5 is provided with a flow hole 7 penetrating in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the stem 6, and the valve 3 is opened by communicating the flow inlet 3 and the flow outlet 4 through the flow hole 7. In this state, the ball 5 is closed by turning 90 degrees.

  The lower half of the stem 6 is rotatably inserted into and supported by the cylindrical portion 1a via the O-ring 13, and the upper half protruding upward from the cylindrical portion 1a is supported by the angular shaft portion 6a. The tip of the lever handle 8 is attached to the angular shaft portion 6a, and the lever handle 8 is rotated to rotate the ball 5 via the stem 6 as described above. Open and close.

  The structure of the lever handle 8 attached to the angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6 will be described in detail. At the tip of the lever handle 8, the inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6 and the outer diameter is larger. A bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 1a is integrally provided, and a lower end surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a is a lever toward the direction of extending the lever handle 8 on the outer peripheral surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a. A projecting end portion 8b is formed so as to be flush with the lower end surface of the handle 8 on the same horizontal plane, and the bottomed short tube portion 8a is disposed so as to surround the angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6. The turning force of the lever handle 8 is applied to the square hole 8c by inserting the square shaft part 6a into an engaged state through the square hole 8c provided at the center of the bottom surface of the bottomed short cylinder part 8a. Is transmitted to the stem 6 through engagement with the square shaft portion 6a.

  Further, the bottom portion of the bottomed short cylinder portion 8a of the lever handle 8 is protruded downward from the lower end surface of the lever handle 8 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable on the inner peripheral surface of the upper end opening of the cylinder portion 1a. The lever handle 8 is placed in the open position and the closed position on the upper end surface (projecting end surface) of the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 1a that is loosely fitted and surrounds the bottom portion of the bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a. The recessed portions 9 and 10 to be held are formed at an angular interval of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the upper end surface portion of the cylindrical portion 1a spans an angular range of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction between the recessed portions 9 and 10 Are formed on a convex surface 11 having a mountain shape, both ends of which are continuous with the lower end surfaces of the recesses 9 and 10 and are curved in a gentle convex arc shape upward from the lower ends of the recesses 9 and 10. . Note that the end of the recesses 9 and 10 opposite to the side continuous with the convex surface 11 is formed as a stopper 12 that prevents the lever handle 8 from rotating further.

  Then, the lower end surface of the connecting portion with the bottomed short cylinder portion 8a in the lever handle 8 is reciprocally moved slidably in the circumferential direction on the convex surface 11 between the concave portions 9 and 10, and these The lower end surface is supported by the recesses 9 and 10 in a locked state, but the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 1a is also spaced from the recesses 9 and 10 at an angular interval of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Similarly, recesses 9a and 10a having the same shape and the same size are provided to hold the lever handle 8 in the open / close position by supporting the lower end surface of the protruding end 8b in a locked state, and between these recesses 9a and 10a. The upper end surface portion of the cylindrical portion 1a spanning the angular range of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction is connected to the lower end surfaces of the concave portions 9a and 10a at both ends, and is formed in a gently convex arc shape upward from the lower ends of the concave portions 9a and 10a. It is formed on a curved convex surface 11a that is curved. That is, the concave portion 9 and the concave portion 9a for holding the lever handle 8 at the valve opening position, and the concave portion 10 and the concave portion 10a for holding the lever handle 8 at the valve closing position are provided at symmetrical positions on the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 1a. It has been. A stopper portion 12a for preventing further rotation of the lever handle 8 is provided at the opposite end of the concave portion 9a, 10a that receives the lower end surface of the protruding end portion 8b from the side that is continuous with the convex surface 11a. Forming.

  Further, the upper end portion of the angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6 is formed in the screw portion 6b, and the screw portion 6b is protruded upward from the upper end of the bottomed short tube portion 8a of the lever handle 8, and the bottomed short portion is formed. A coil spring 14 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 8a, and the coil spring 14 is press-fitted between the washer 15 that is externally fitted to the lower portion of the screw portion 6b and the inner bottom surface of the bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a. The upper end surface of the washer 15 is received by the lower surface of the nut 16 screwed into the upper end screw portion 6b of the square shaft portion 6a, and the nut 16 is screwed and unscrewed, thereby causing the spring of the coil spring 14 to be elastic. By adjusting the force, the lever handle 8 is always pressed downward by this elastic force so that the lower end surfaces of the lever handle 8 and the projecting end portion 8b are formed on the recesses 9, 9a, 10, 10a and the convex surfaces 11, 11a. It is pressed against the upper end surface of the provided cylindrical portion 1a.

  It should be noted that the outer peripheral surfaces on both sides of the ball 5 disposed in the valve chamber 2 of the main body 1 are respectively mounted around the opening ends of the inlet 3 and the outlet 4 that open to the valve chamber 2. It is slidably in close contact with the annular sheets 17 and 17. Further, the outlet 4 is separated from the main body 1 so that the inner diameter of the opening end of the main body 1 to which the outlet 4 is connected is larger than the diameter of the ball 5 so that the valve chamber 2 can be introduced into the valve chamber 2 during assembly. The ball 5 can be easily inserted and arranged. At the opening end portion, a through hole 19 that can communicate with the flow hole 7 of the ball 5 is provided at the center portion, and a socket body 18 that has the annular sheet 17 attached to the surface facing the ball 5 is screwed together. In addition, the short tubular outlet 4 is brought into contact with the socket body 18 projecting outward from the opening end portion so that the outlet 4 communicates with the through hole 19. The outlet 4 is attached to the opening end of the main body 1 by screwing the union nut 20 locked to the flange portion with the outer peripheral surface of the socket body 18.

  The opening / closing operation of the ball valve configured as described above will be described. FIGS. 2 to 4 show the valve opening state. In this state, the lever handle 8 is connected to the bottomed short tube portion 8a. The spring of the coil spring 14 is formed on one of the recesses 9 and 9a provided at the valve opening position with the lower end surface and the lower end surface of the protruding end portion 8b protruding from the bottomed short tube portion 8a in the extending direction of the lever handle 8. In addition to being pressed by the force, the circumferential movement from this position is blocked by the upward inclined surface of the convex surfaces 11 and 11a and the stopper portions 12 and 12a, respectively, and the inlet 3 is passed through the circulation hole 7 of the ball 5. The valve-open state communicated with the outlet 4 is maintained.

  When the lever handle 8 is operated from this state and the lever handle 8 is rotated clockwise around the stem 6, the lower end surfaces of the lever handle 8 and the projecting end 8b are projected from the recesses 9 and 9a to the convex surface 11, respectively. It moves in the circumferential direction while being in contact with the inclined surface of 11a and riding on the inclined surface, and this angle is formed through a square hole 8c provided in the bottomed short cylindrical portion 8a of the lever handle 8 as the lever handle 8 rotates. The angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6 engaged with the hole 8c rotates integrally, and the ball 5 is gradually rotated from the open state to the closed state.

  At this time, the lever handle 8 is raised against the elastic force of the coil spring 14 pressing the bottomed short tube portion 8a downward until the lower end surface of the lever handle 8 reaches the top of the convex surfaces 11, 11a. When it passes through the top of the convex surfaces 11, 11a, it moves downward while sliding on the downward inclined surface of the convex surfaces 11, 11a while being pressed against the downward inclined surface by the elastic force of the coil spring 14. When the lever handle 8 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from one of the recesses 9 and 9a, the lower end surface of the lever handle 8 and the projecting end 8b reaches the other recess 10 and 10a, and is stopped by the stopper 12a. The above rotation is prevented and the ball 5 is completely rotated to the valve closing position as shown in FIGS.

  Further, from this state, in order to bring the ball 5 into the valve open state in which the circulation hole 7 is communicated with the inflow port 3 and the outflow port 4, the lever handle 8 is rotated in the opposite direction, that is, in the counterclockwise direction. It may be operated manually. That is, the lower end surface of the portion of the lever handle 8 connected to the bottomed short tube portion 8a and the lower end surface of the protruding end portion 8b protruding from the bottomed short tube portion 8a in the extending direction of the lever handle 8 are respectively closed. When the lever handle 8 is rotated counterclockwise from the state of being located on the other concave portion 10 or 10a provided in the lever, it is inserted into the square hole 8c of the bottomed short tube portion 8a of the lever handle 8 and is engaged. The angular shaft portion 6a of the stem 6 that is stopped rotates integrally around its center, and the ball 5 integrated with the stem 6 rotates counterclockwise, and the lower end surfaces of the lever handle 8 and the protruding end portion 8b are moved. Overcoming the convex surfaces 11 and 11a and reaching one of the concave portions 9 and 9a, abuts against the stopper portion 12 to prevent further rotation, and the valve is opened.

  Also in this case, the lever handle 8 is always pressed downward by the elastic force of the coil spring 14, and is provided with concave portions 9, 9a, 10, 10a and convex surfaces 11, 11a together with the lower end surface of the projecting end portion 8b. It is pressed against the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 1a. The elastic force of the coil spring 14 is such that a nut 16 screwed into the upper end portion of the stem 6 protruding upward from the bottomed short tube portion 8a of the lever handle 8 is screwed in the axial direction with respect to the stem 6 and screwed. By retreating, fine adjustment can be easily and accurately performed.

  The lever handle 8 can be turned by holding the end of the lever handle 8 with a thumb and an index finger, but when turning clockwise, the thumb is placed on one side of the protruding end 8b of the lever handle 8. If the turning operation is performed by twisting clockwise around the stem 6 with the index finger pressed against the other side of the lever handle 8 that is diametrically opposed through the bottomed short tube portion 8a, it is light and smooth. The valve can be opened. Similarly, when rotating counterclockwise, the index finger is pressed against the other side surface of the protruding end portion 8b of the lever handle 8, and the thumb is placed on the lever handle 8 facing the diameter direction via the bottomed short tube portion 8a. A rotation operation may be performed so that the stem 6 is twisted counterclockwise while being pressed against the side surface.

  If the ball valve configured as described above is used in a pipe such as a drain pipe of an engine oil of an automobile in which intense vibrations are continuously generated, the valve valve is surely closed despite the vibrations. Can be held.

The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the lever handle part of the ball valve of this invention. The perspective view of a valve opening state. The longitudinal front view. The plan view. The perspective view of a valve closing state. The longitudinal front view.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body 2 Valve chamber 3 Inlet 4 Outlet 5 Ball 6 Stem
6a Square shaft part 7 Distribution hole 8 Lever handle 9, 9a Concave part
11 Convex surface
14 Coil spring
15 Washer
16 nuts

Claims (3)

  A body in which a fluid inlet and outlet are coaxially provided on both sides, and a ball having a through hole that communicates between the inlet and outlet in the center is rotatably provided. A cylindrical part is inserted through the stem integral with the ball in a direction perpendicular to the axial center of the inlet and outlet, and a lever handle is attached to the angular shaft part of the stem protruding from the cylindrical part. In the ball valve that opens and closes the valve by rotating the lever integrally by rotating the lever handle, a recess that holds the lever handle at the open / close position of the valve is provided around the protruding end surface of the cylinder. It is formed with an angular interval of 90 degrees in the direction, and the end surface between these recesses is formed in a mountain-shaped convex surface, and the lever handle is moved up and down with respect to the above-mentioned angular shaft portion of the stem Mounted so that it can move freely and integrally And a lever characterized in that the lever handle is always urged by a spring force toward the end surface having the concave portion and the convex surface of the cylindrical portion and is slidably received on the end surface in the circumferential direction. valve.   A bottomed short cylindrical part surrounding the angular shaft part of the stem is integrally provided at the tip of the lever handle, and the angular shaft part of the stem is inserted into a square hole provided in the bottom center part of the bottomed short cylindrical part. It is configured so that the turning force of the lever handle is transmitted to the stem by combining, and a coil spring is disposed in the bottomed short tube portion, and both ends of the coil spring are connected to the inner bottom surface of the bottomed short tube portion. It is interposed between the washer provided at the tip of the angular shaft portion of the stem, and the washer is received by a nut screwed into a screw portion formed at the tip of the square shaft portion. The ball valve according to claim 1.   The bottom outer peripheral surface of the bottomed short cylinder part of the lever handle is loosely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the opening end part of the main body cylinder part through which the stem is inserted, and the lever handle is extended to the outer peripheral surface of the bottomed short cylinder part. A projecting end portion projecting in the direction to which the lever is to be mounted, and a concave portion for holding the lever handle at the valve opening / closing position on the end surface of the cylindrical portion and a mountain-shaped convex surface provided between the concave portions. The recessed part which makes the said opposing edge part hold | maintain in the opening-and-closing position of a valve, and the mountain-shaped convex surface provided between these recessed parts are provided, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Ball valve.

Images