JP2022040472A - Relief valve - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a relief valve capable of stabilizing the movement of a valve element on a valve seat over a long period without impairing the reliability in secular use.SOLUTION: The relief valve includes a housing 20 having a valve chest 3 inside and provided with an intake port 24 and an exhaust port 22, a valve element 4 provided in the valve chest of the housing for contacting/leaving a valve seat 30 provided around the intake port to close/open the intake port, a guide shaft 40 having a rolling surface for rolling elements along the longitudinal direction, and one end to which the valve element 4 is fixed, a cylinder member 41 assembled to the guide shaft via the number of rolling elements to construct a linear guide device, and holding the guide shaft 40 movably with respect to the housing 20, and an elastic member 6 for energizing the valve element 4 to the valve seat 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a relief valve that is used, for example, as a simple respirator and can open and close the valve body only by the pressure of a gas acting on the valve body.

As a relief valve capable of opening and closing the valve body only by the pressure of gas, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This relief valve is formed in a tubular shape and has an intake port at one end in the axial direction and a housing having an exhaust port. A valve hole, a valve body that is urged toward the valve seat and sits on the valve seat, and opens and closes the valve hole according to the pressure of the gas flowing from the intake port, and the valve body is the valve seat. It is equipped with an urging force adjusting member that presses against.

In this conventional relief valve, when the pressure of the gas flowing into the housing from the intake port increases, the pressure of the gas acts in the direction of lifting the valve body from the valve seat, and the gas is opened in the valve hole. After flowing into the housing through the housing, the gas is discharged to the outside from the discharge port provided in the housing. Further, when the pressure of the gas acting on the valve body decreases due to the discharge of such gas, the valve body sits on the valve seat again and closes the valve hole. Therefore, since this relief valve opens and closes repeatedly according to the pressure of the gas acting on the valve body, for example, by using this relief valve, it is excessive for the patient's respiratory organs without using complicated control equipment. It is possible to construct a simple respirator that does not impose a heavy burden.

WO2017 / 115866

When such a relief valve is used as a simple ventilator as described above, the reliability required for the operation of the relief valve is extremely high. That is, it is necessary for the valve body to smoothly repeat separation and contact with the valve seat according to the pressure of the gas flowing into the housing from the intake port. If the movement of the valve body is not properly linked to the pressure of the gas acting on the valve body, the patient's proper exhalation or inspiration will be hindered.

In this regard, in the relief valve disclosed in Patent Document 1, a valve shaft for guiding the movement of the valve body is provided in the housing, and the valve body is only in sliding contact with the valve shaft. If the material of the valve body or valve shaft deteriorates due to long-term use, or if the valve body or valve shaft wears, the smooth movement of the valve body with respect to the valve shaft is lost, and the reliability as a respirator becomes low. There was a concern that it would be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to be able to stabilize the movement of the valve body with respect to the valve seat for a long period of time, and the reliability is not impaired even in aged use. It is to provide a relief valve.

That is, the relief valve of the present invention is in contact with a housing having a valve chamber inside and having an intake port and an exhaust port, and a valve seat provided in the valve chamber of the housing and provided around the intake port. The guide via a valve body that separates and closes or opens the intake port, a guide shaft having a rolling surface of the rolling element along the longitudinal direction and having the valve body fixed to one end thereof, and a large number of rolling elements. A tubular member that is assembled to the shaft to form a linear guide device and that movably holds the guide shaft with respect to the housing, and an elastic member that urges the valve body toward the valve seat. I have.

According to the relief valve of the present invention configured as described above, the valve body is fixed to one end of the guide shaft of the linear guide device, and the guide shaft is attached to the housing by a tubular member having a large number of rolling elements. On the other hand, since it is held movably, it is possible to stabilize the movement of the valve body with respect to the valve seat for a long period of time, and it is possible to provide a relief valve that does not impair reliability even after aging.

Therefore, the relief valve of the present invention is most suitable as a component of a simple ventilator, and it is possible to construct a highly reliable ventilator that appropriately synchronizes with the exhaled breath and inspiration of a patient.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the simple respirator configured by using the relief valve of this invention. It is a perspective view which observed the example of the relief valve embodiment to which this invention was applied from diagonally above right. It is a perspective view which observed the example of the relief valve embodiment to which this invention was applied from the diagonally lower left. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the relief valve shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state which the intake port is completely opened. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the valve body was seated on the valve seat in the relief valve shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the 2nd pressure chamber was formed in the relief valve shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the relief valve of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of how to use the relief valve to which the present invention is applied, and shows an example of using the relief valve as a part of the configuration of a simple ventilator. This ventilator includes a mask 1 to be attached to the patient P, a pump 11 connected to the mask 1 via an intake tube 10 and sending compressed air mixed with oxygen to the mask 1, and the intake air. It is composed of the relief valve 2 connected to the exhalation tube 12 branched from the tube 10. The specific usage of the relief valve 2 will be described later, and then the structure of the relief valve 2 will be described.

2 and 3 are perspective views showing an example of an embodiment of the relief valve 2 to which the present invention is applied. The relief valve 2 has a housing 20 formed in a cylindrical shape. The housing 20 has a housing body 21 having a valve chamber inside and formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and an exhaust port 22 that fits into the open end of the housing body 21 and leads to the valve chamber of the housing 20. It includes a formed lid member 23. The bottom portion 21a of the housing body 21 is provided with an intake port 24 leading to the valve chamber. A cylindrical connecting portion 25 protruding from the bottom of the cylinder 21a is formed around the intake port 24, and the connecting portion 25 can be fixed by covering one end of the exhaled tube 12.

The lid member 23 can adjust the fitting amount with respect to the housing main body 21, that is, the insertion amount in the axial direction with respect to the housing main body 21, and by adjusting this fitting amount, the valve member described later can be seated. The opening pressure of the relief valve 2 can be arbitrarily changed by arbitrarily adjusting the urging force pressed against the relief valve 2. Further, the housing main body 21 is provided with an adjusting screw 26 for fixing the lid member 23 to the housing main body 21.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the relief valve 2. As described above, the intake port 24 is provided at the bottom portion 21a of the axial end of the housing body 21, while the lid member 23 is fitted to the other end of the housing body 21 in the axial direction. The inside of the housing main body 21 is a valve chamber 3 through which air escapes from the intake port 24 to the exhaust port 22 of the lid member 23.

A valve seat 30 is provided around the intake port 24 on the cylinder bottom portion 21a of the housing main body 21, and a valve body 4 that is in contact with the valve seat 30 is provided inside the valve chamber 3. The intake port 24 is closed by the valve body 4 when the valve body 4 is seated on the valve seat 30, while the intake port 24 is opened when the valve body 4 is separated from the valve seat 30. To. Further, the inside of the connecting portion 25 provided in the housing main body 21 is a pressure chamber 31 communicating with the intake port 24, and the gas introduced into the pressure chamber 31 closes the intake port 24. It is designed to exert pressure on the body 4.

The valve body 4 is movably held with respect to the housing 20 by a linear guide device. The linear guide device is assembled to the guide shaft 40 via a large number of rolling elements and a guide shaft 40 having a rolling surface of the rolling element along the longitudinal direction, and moves relative to the guide shaft 40. It is provided with a cylinder member 41. A ball bush or a ball spline can be used as the linear guide device. In this embodiment, the tubular member 41 of the linear guide device is fixed to the lid member 23, while the guide shaft 40 of the linear guide device penetrates the lid member 23 and is inserted into the valve chamber 3. The guide shaft 40 is held by the tubular member 41 and can move forward and backward with respect to the lid member 23. The valve body 4 is fixed to one end of the guide shaft 40 inserted into the valve chamber 3. Therefore, as the valve body 4 comes into contact with the valve seat 30, the guide shaft 40 moves forward and backward with respect to the lid member 23, and the movement of the valve body 4 in the valve chamber 3 is performed by the linear guide device. I have been guided. When it is necessary to prevent the valve body 4 from rotating in the circumferential direction of the guide shaft 40, a rolling groove of the rolling element is provided along the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 40 to provide the guide shaft 40. Can be configured as a spline shaft to prevent the cylinder member 41 from rotating with respect to the guide shaft 40.

Further, a coil spring 6 as an elastic member is provided between the valve body 4 and the lid member 23, and the valve body 4 is directed toward the valve seat 30 by the urging force exerted by the coil spring 6. Is being pressed. As described above, the fitting position of the lid member 23 with respect to the housing main body 21 can be appropriately adjusted by using the adjusting screw 26 (see FIG. 2), and the fitting position of the lid member 23 with respect to the housing main body 21 can be adjusted. By changing the compression amount, the compression amount of the coil spring 6 can be changed, the force for pressing the valve body 4 against the valve seat 30 can be adjusted, and the opening pressure of the relief valve 2 can be arbitrarily set. ..

A pressure chamber forming member 7 is provided around the valve seat 30 on the inner peripheral surface side of the housing main body 21. The pressure chamber forming member 7 is formed in a ring shape surrounding the valve body 4 seated on the valve seat 30 from the surroundings so that the pressure chamber forming member 7 and the valve body 4 do not interfere with each other. Its inner diameter is set slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the valve body 4. That is, in a state where the valve body 4 is seated on the valve seat 30, the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the pressure chamber forming member 7 face each other with a slight gap.

Further, the valve body 4 is formed with a seat surface 42 in close contact with the valve seat 30, and an annular groove portion 43 is formed around the seat surface 42 so as to surround the seat surface 42. The groove 43 cooperates with the pressure chamber forming member 7 to form a second pressure chamber. That is, when the valve body 4 floats from the valve seat 30, the gas that has flowed into the valve chamber 3 through the intake port 24 is surrounded by the groove portion 43, the pressure chamber forming member 7, and the cylinder bottom portion 21a. The gas flowing into the second pressure chamber continues to exert pressure on the valve body 4 until the valve body 4 stays in the space (second pressure chamber) and escapes from the pressure chamber forming member 7. It is configured as follows.

Note that FIG. 4 shows a state in which the valve body 4 is separated from the valve seat 30 and the valve body 4 is completely pulled out of the pressure chamber forming member 7 so that the second pressure chamber disappears.

Next, the operation of the relief valve 2 of the present embodiment configured in this way will be described.

In a state where the pressure of the gas flowing into the pressure chamber 31 in the connecting portion 25 has not yet increased and is low, as shown in FIG. 5, the valve body 4 has the valve seat due to the urging force exerted by the coil spring 6. It is pressed against 30, and the valve body 4 sits on the valve seat 30 and closes the intake port 24. When the pressure of the gas in the pressure chamber 31 gradually increases from this state, the force with which the gas presses the valve body 4 increases. Then, when the pressing force exerted by the gas in the pressure chamber 31 on the valve body 4 exceeds the urging force of the coil spring 6, the valve body 4 presses and contracts the coil spring 6 as shown in FIG. It floats up from the valve seat 30 and the intake port 24 is opened. At this time, the valve body 4 moves in the valve chamber 3 together with the guide shaft 40 of the linear guide device.

When the intake port 24 is opened, the air in the pressure chamber 31 flows into the housing 2 from the intake port 24. At this time, in a state where the valve body 4 is slightly lifted from the valve seat 30, the valve body 4 is surrounded by the pressure chamber forming member 7, and the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 4 and the pressure chamber forming member. The gap between the inner peripheral surface of 7 and the inner peripheral surface of 7 is extremely small. Therefore, the air that has passed through the intake port 24 is not immediately released to the valve chamber 3, but is surrounded by the groove portion 43 of the valve body 4, the pressure chamber forming member 7, and the cylinder bottom portion 21a. It stays in the pressure chamber 8 and continues to exert pressure on the valve body 4. That is, when the valve body 4 is slightly lifted from the valve seat 30, the intake port 24 is opened, but the gas guided to the second pressure chamber 8 is still higher than that of the valve body 4. It is exerting pressure. Therefore, the valve body 4 receives this pressure and moves in a direction away from the intake port 24 even after the intake port 24 is opened.

Then, when the valve body 4 moves away from the valve seat 30 and finally the valve body 4 completely escapes from the pressure chamber forming member 7, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer periphery of the valve body 4 is formed. A sufficient gap for the gas to flow is secured around the surface, and the gas flowing into the housing 20 from the intake port 24 is released into the valve chamber 3. Further, when the valve body 4 completely escapes from the pressure chamber forming member 7, the second pressure chamber 8 disappears, and the pressure exerted on the valve body 4 by the gas introduced into the intake port 24 is reduced at once. Therefore, the valve body 4 is pushed back toward the valve seat 30 by the urging force exerted by the coil spring 6, and the valve body 4 is seated on the valve seat 30 again. As a result, the intake port 24 is closed again (see FIG. 5).

That is, in the relief valve 2 of this embodiment, the valve body 4 sequentially closes and opens the intake port 24 only by the pressure of the gas guided to the pressure chamber 31, and the valve body 4 opens the intake port 24. By opening the pressure chamber 31, it is possible to prevent the pressure of the gas acting on the pressure chamber 31 from exceeding a predetermined value.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a case where the relief valve 2 of the present embodiment is used as a simple respirator will be described. The compressed air generated by the pump 11 is sent from the mask 1 to the patient's respiratory organs, and when the pressure in the patient's respiratory organs increases due to the compressed air, the air is branched from the intake tube 10 and the intake tube 10. The internal pressure of the exhalation tube 12 also increases. Then, when the pressure in the respiratory organs of the patient becomes higher than the opening pressure set for the relief valve 2, the valve body 4 floats from the valve seat 30 and the relief valve 2 is opened. The squeezed air in the intake tube 10 is discharged to the outside from the relief valve 2 through the exhalation tube 12, and the pressure in the respiratory organ of the patient is reduced accordingly. Further, when the pressure in the intake tube 10 decreases, the relief valve 2 closes the end of the exhaled tube 12, so that the compressed air is again sent to the patient's respiratory organs via the intake tube 10.

Therefore, in the simple artificial respirator that combines the relief valve 2 and the source of the compressed air, the relief valve 2 operates intermittently only with the compressed air, so that the opening pressure of the relief valve 2 is arbitrarily set. By doing so, it is possible to send compressed air to the patient's respirator in synchronization with the patient's spontaneous respiration, and to construct a simple artificial respirator that does not overload the patient's respiration. Can be done. The supply source of compressed air to be combined with the relief valve 2 is not limited to the electric pump or the manual pump, and may be a cylinder filled with compressed air.

According to the relief valve 2 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the operation of seating or separating the valve body 4 from the valve seat is guided by a linear guide device using the rolling element as a bearing element. Therefore, the frictional resistance to the movement of the valve body is extremely small. Therefore, the smooth movement of the valve body 4 can be ensured even after repeated use over time, and the valve body 4 operates smoothly following a slight change in the gas pressure introduced into the intake port 24. However, the movement of the valve body 4 with respect to the valve seat 30 can be stabilized for a long period of time.

Therefore, for example, by using the relief valve 2 of the present embodiment, it is possible to construct a simple respirator that is appropriately synchronized with the respiratory movement of the patient and has high reliability.

Further, in the relief valve 2 of the present invention, a ring-shaped pressure chamber forming member 7 is provided so as to surround the valve seat 30 provided around the intake port 24, and the valve body 4 is the valve seat. The second pressure chamber 8 is formed by the pressure chamber forming member 7 in a state of being slightly lifted from 30. As a result, even after the valve body 4 is lifted from the valve seat 30, gas pressure is sufficiently applied to the valve body 4 until the valve body 4 completely escapes from the pressure chamber forming member 7. It is possible to surely open the intake port 24.

2 ... relief valve, 3 ... valve chamber, 4 ... valve body, 5 ... linear guide device, 6 ... coil spring (elastic member), 7 ... pressure chamber forming member, 8 ... second pressure chamber, 20 ... housing, 21 ... Housing body, 23 ... lid member, 24 ... intake port, 30 ... valve seat, 31 ... pressure chamber, 40 ... guide shaft, 41 ... cylinder member

Claims (4)

A housing that has a valve chamber inside and is provided with an intake port and an exhaust port,
A valve body provided in the valve chamber of the housing and in contact with and separated from a valve seat provided around the intake port to close or open the intake port.
A guide shaft having a rolling surface of the rolling element along the longitudinal direction and having the valve body fixed to one end thereof,
A tubular member that is assembled to the guide shaft via a large number of rolling elements to form a linear guide device and that holds the guide shaft movably with respect to the housing.
A relief valve including an elastic member that urges the valve body toward the valve seat. The housing is formed in a bottomed tubular shape and has a housing main body having an intake port at the bottom of the cylinder, and a lid member that is fitted to the housing main body and has an elastic member provided between the valve body. The relief valve according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting screw for changing the fitting position of the lid member with respect to the housing body to change the urging force exerted by the elastic member. A ring-shaped pressure chamber forming member that surrounds the valve body seated on the valve seat is provided in the valve chamber of the housing, and the pressure chamber forming member cooperates with the valve body and the cylinder bottom portion of the housing. The relief valve according to claim 1, wherein a second pressure chamber is formed. A guide shaft having a rolling surface of a rolling element along the longitudinal direction, and a tubular member assembled to the guide shaft via a large number of rolling elements to movably hold the guide shaft are provided.
A linear guidance device used for the relief valve according to claim 1.

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