JP4528215B2 - Supply shutoff valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve device that is provided in the middle of a liquid line that supplies liquid to a server by pressurization from a beer cylinder or the like, and can be reliably and quickly closed when the liquid in the cylinder is exhausted.

Generally, a commercial beer server is configured to push beer out of a tank by pressurizing carbon dioxide gas when supplying the beer from a tank filled with beer. And while beer remains in the tank, carbon dioxide pushes down the inner liquid level of the beer tank, whereby beer is supplied to the outside. In such a device, it is good when the beer remains in the tank and is functioning normally, but when the remaining amount of beer is exhausted, bubbles and carbon dioxide gas are expelled to the server side, which is inconvenient. is there.

In order to solve this type of problem, for example, a liquid supply cutoff valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Such a liquid supply shut-off valve is provided with a spherical valve having a specific gravity smaller than that of the supply liquid in the valve chamber. When an appropriate vortex of the liquid is formed in the valve chamber, the spherical valve is drawn into the vortex. Stable while rotating at a predetermined position in the valve chamber. When the liquid in the tank runs out, the spherical valve has a function of seating on the valve seat by gas pressure and automatically stopping the supply of liquid.

In addition, this liquid supply cutoff valve has a structure in which a reset valve is separately provided in parallel with the valve seat in order to release the state in which the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat and the liquid supply is stopped.

Japanese Patent No. 3611027

The conventional liquid supply shut-off valve effectively fulfills the intended purpose in the state of use, and has no particular problem, but the present inventor has made further improvements. That is, the present invention relates to an improvement of the above-described conventional liquid supply shutoff valve, and when the liquid flows, the spherical valve is more reliably stabilized in the valve chamber, and when the liquid in the tank is exhausted, the flow path is reliably In addition to providing a liquid supply shutoff valve that can be closed, it is relatively easy to cancel the state in which the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat and the liquid supply is stopped without providing a separate reset valve structure in the valve chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid supply cutoff valve that can be used.

The liquid supply shut-off valve according to the present invention is employed in the middle of a liquid flow path energized by gas pressure, and includes a primary flow path, a secondary flow path, and a valve chamber between them. In addition, a valve seat is provided in the secondary flow path of the valve chamber, and a spherical valve having a specific gravity smaller than the liquid in the flow path is provided in the valve chamber, and an inflow portion for the valve chamber of the primary flow path In the liquid supply shutoff valve in which the valve seat is positioned lower than the valve seat, a cylindrical body is provided in the valve chamber in a state where a gap is formed between the valve seat and the inner wall of the valve chamber, and the inflow portion is provided inside the cylindrical body. In addition, the spherical valve is accommodated in the cylindrical body, and an opening for guiding the liquid flowing in from the inflow portion to the gap is provided on the side surface of the cylindrical body. Thereby, when a liquid flows through the liquid supply cutoff valve, the spherical valve is drawn into the vortex while rotating inside the cylindrical body. At this time, the liquid flow toward the valve seat in the valve chamber is divided into a main flow that passes through the inside of the cylindrical body and a secondary flow that passes through the gap on the outside of the cylindrical body. Therefore, the mainstream component does not become a strong flow, and the spherical valve is more reliably stabilized at a predetermined position inside the cylindrical body.

  In the liquid supply shut-off valve, the cylindrical body can be rotated around the central axis of the cylinder, and a release means for releasing the state in which the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat is provided at the lower part of the cylindrical body. It is preferable that the releasing means is configured to separate the spherical valve from the valve seat as the cylindrical body rotates. Thereby, it is not necessary to separately provide a release valve structure in the valve chamber, and the structure becomes relatively simple.

Such release means, for example, extends the lower end portion of the cylindrical body to a position that is substantially the same height as the valve seat or a position lower than that, and the spherical valve passes through at least a part of the bottom portion thereof. It can form by providing the notch part which can be. Further, a rod body extending downward from the lower end portion of the cylindrical body may be provided, and the rod body may be extended to at least the same height as the valve seat, so that this rod body may be used as the release means.

  According to the liquid supply shutoff valve according to the present invention, the structure in which the liquid flow toward the valve seat in the valve chamber is divided into the main flow passing through the inside of the cylindrical body and the subflow passing through the gap outside the cylindrical body. Therefore, the mainstream component inside the cylindrical body does not flow so much, and the vortex flow formation inside the cylindrical body is more reliably performed, and the spherical valve can always be kept in a stable position. On the other hand, when the tank runs out of liquid, the spherical valve can reliably close the flow path.

In addition, the cylindrical body is configured to be rotatable around the central axis of the cylinder, and a release means for releasing the state where the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat is provided at the lower part of the cylindrical body so that the cylindrical body is rotated. If the release means adopts a configuration in which the ball valve is detached from the valve seat with the operation, there is no need to provide a separate valve structure in the valve chamber, and the ball valve is seated on the valve seat and the liquid supply is stopped. The state can be released relatively easily.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing the entire liquid supply apparatus provided with a liquid supply cutoff valve 5 according to the present invention. For example, this liquid supply device is provided as a commercial beer server device, and includes a beer tank 1, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 2 for pressurizing the internal pressure of the beer tank 1, and a cooling mechanism inside. It comprises a known beer server 3 and a cock 4 for pouring beer. And the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 which concerns on this invention is provided downstream of the beer tank 1 and the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 2 connected to this.

2 to 5 are views showing an internal mechanism of the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 in the present embodiment. In each figure, the flow path of beer (liquid) is indicated by arrows. The liquid supply shut-off valve 5 includes a housing 10, a valve seat holder 20, a bottom plate 22, a fixture 24, a connector 25, and a tubular body 30, and the primary flow paths 11 and 12 and the valve chamber 13 are provided inside the shut-off valve. And a secondary side flow path 14 and a spherical valve 16 having a lighter specific gravity than a liquid such as beer is provided inside the valve chamber 13.

The valve seat holder 20 is attached to the lower part of the secondary side flow path 14 inside the housing 10, and holds a valve seat 21 made of an O-ring at a portion serving as an inlet from the valve chamber 13 to the secondary side flow path 14. . The bottom plate 22 is attached to the bottom of the housing 10. The bottom plate 22 is provided with a cylindrical inflow portion 23 for guiding the liquid in the primary flow paths 11 and 12 to the valve chamber 13. When the bottom plate 22 is mounted on the bottom portion of the housing 10, the inflow portion 23 protrudes to the inside of the valve chamber 13 and the inlet to the valve chamber 13 is at a position higher than the valve seat 21. The fixture 24 fixes the bottom plate 22 in a state where it is attached to the bottom of the housing 10 and has a function for attaching the shut-off valve to the upstream flow path. The connector 25 is for connecting the secondary channel 14 to an external pipe.

On the other hand, the cylindrical body 30 is a cylindrical body having an inner diameter smaller than that of the valve chamber 13, and a head portion 34 led out of the housing through a through-hole formed in the ceiling portion of the valve chamber 13 is provided on the upper portion thereof. Have. The head 34 is fixed to the housing 10 so as to be rotatable around the central axis 33 of the cylindrical body 30 while keeping the valve chamber 13 in a liquid-tight state. An operation unit 35 for rotating the cylindrical body 30 in the R direction is attached to the head 34.

The cylindrical body 30 is provided in the valve chamber 13 in a state where a certain gap is formed between the cylindrical body 30 and the inner wall of the valve chamber 13. Therefore, the valve chamber 13 is partitioned into an inner chamber portion 13 a and an outer chamber portion 13 b by the cylindrical body 30, the inner chamber portion 13 a is inside the cylindrical body 30, and the outer chamber portion 13 b is the side wall and the valve of the cylindrical body 30. It becomes a fixed gap with the inner wall of the chamber 13. This gap is a gap smaller than the diameter of the spherical valve 16. And the side wall of the cylindrical body 30 is extended below the valve chamber 13, the inflow part 23 will be in the state provided in the inner chamber part 13a inside the cylindrical body 30, and the spherical valve 16 is a cylinder. Housed inside the shaped body 30. The cylindrical body 30 has an opening 31 for leading the liquid flowing in from the inflow portion 23 to the outer chamber portion 13b in the gap formed between the inner wall of the valve chamber 13 and the cylindrical body side wall. It is provided at a position higher than the portion 23. The opening 31 is an opening having a smaller diameter than the spherical valve 16. Further, in order to form a substantially uniform liquid flow in the outer chamber portion 13 b surrounding the cylindrical body 30, it is preferable that the plurality of openings 31 are arranged around the side surface of the cylindrical body 30 at substantially equal intervals.

Further, a release means 37 for releasing the state where the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical body 30. The release means 37 of the present embodiment is such that the lower end portion of the cylindrical body 30 extends to a position substantially the same as or lower than the valve seat 21, and the spherical valve 16 is provided at least at a part of the skirt portion thereof. Is formed by an arch-shaped cutout 32 formed in such a size that it can move. As will be described later, this release means replaces the tank 1 with a new one after the ball valve 16 is seated on the valve seat 21 and the supply of beer is stopped when the remaining amount of beer in the tank 1 becomes less than a predetermined value. In this case, the seating state of the spherical valve 12 is released and the supply of beer is resumed. For this release operation, the operation unit 35 is rotated in the R direction around the central axis 33. Do by.

The liquid supply cutoff valve 5 having the above-described configuration can take out the bottom plate 22 from the bottom of the housing 10 by removing the fixture 24, for example. Moreover, if the operation part 35 is removed from the head part 34 of the cylindrical body 30, the cylindrical body 30 can also be taken out from the lower part of the housing 10. FIG. The valve seat holder 20 and the spherical valve 16 can also be taken out from the housing 10. Therefore, the liquid supply shut-off valve 5 has a structure that can be disassembled relatively easily and take out each constituent member, and can be repeatedly used by washing and reassembling each constituent member individually. This is a possible mode.

Next, the operation of the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 will be described. First, FIG. 2 shows a state where the cock 4 is opened and the beer flows toward the beer server 3 in a state where the beer is pressurized by the carbon dioxide gas. At this time, the arch-shaped notch 32 formed in the cylindrical body 30 is directed to a position facing the valve seat 21. Beer flows into the valve chamber 13 from the primary flow paths 11 and 12 through the inflow portion 23 as shown by the arrows, and forms a large vortex in the inner chamber portion 13 a inside the cylindrical body 30. Most of the liquid flowing into the inner chamber portion 13 a forms a main flow from the inner chamber portion 13 a toward the valve seat 21, while a part of the liquid flowing into the inner chamber portion 13 a is an opening portion of the cylindrical body 30. It flows out to the outer chamber part 13b formed in the clearance gap between the inner wall of the valve chamber 13, and a cylindrical body side wall via 31, and forms the side flow which goes to the valve seat 21 there from there. Both the main flow and the side flow merge around the arch-shaped notch 32, flow into the secondary flow path 14 via the valve seat 11, and are supplied to the beer server 3 of FIG. Since the spherical valve 12 has a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid, it tries to float in the valve chamber 13 by buoyancy, but is drawn into the vortex flow of the inner chamber portion 13a and is stabilized while rotating at the position shown in the figure.

Next, when the cock 4 is closed and the supply of beer is temporarily stopped, the mode of the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 shifts to FIG. The cock 4 functions as a final liquid supply stop valve in the flow path of beer, but the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 is located in the middle of the flow path, so when the cock 4 is closed, the interior of the liquid supply cutoff valve 5 is The fluid stabilizes in a liquid-tight state. Then, since the specific gravity of the spherical valve 16 is smaller than that of the liquid, the spherical valve 16 is lifted to the highest position inside the cylindrical body 30 of the valve chamber 13 by its buoyancy. Since the fluid remains stable until the cock 4 is opened, the spherical valve 16 also stops at the illustrated position.

When the cock 4 is opened again and beer is supplied, the fluid forms a flow path, so that the spherical valve 16 is drawn into the vortex and returns to the state shown in FIG. In the liquid supply cutoff valve 5, the inflow portion 23 is provided at a position higher than at least the valve seat 21, so that the spherical valve 16 is appropriately drawn into the vortex and is stabilized while rotating at a predetermined position. Even when a sudden water flow is generated in the flow path, a part of the rapid liquid flow is caused by the opening 31 provided in the tubular body 30 between the inner wall of the valve chamber 13 and the tubular body side wall. Since it sends out to the outer chamber part 13b formed in the gap and leads to the valve seat 21 as a side flow therefrom, the mainstream component formed inside the cylindrical body 30 is reduced, and an appropriate vortex flow is generated inside the cylindrical body 30. The structure is formed. Therefore, the spherical valve 16 always rotates at a stable position inside the cylindrical body 30.

Subsequently, when the fluid remaining in the beer tank 1 runs out while maintaining the state of FIG. 2, the liquid in the valve chamber 13 is pushed out to the secondary channel 14 by carbon dioxide gas while forming a turbulent flow. However, as the liquid level decreases, the position of the spherical valve 16 also decreases. Further, since the pressurization of carbon dioxide continues, as shown in FIG. 4, the spherical valve 16 sits in a state where it instantaneously dives through the arch-shaped notch 32 and is pressed against the valve seat 21. Exhibits the function of the shut-off valve. Since the pressurization of the carbon dioxide gas continues thereafter, the inside of the valve chamber 13 becomes a high pressure state, and the spherical valve 16 does not leave the valve seat 21.

When the empty beer tank 1 is replaced with a full tank, after the beer is filled in the valve chamber 13, the operation unit 35 is rotated in the R direction as shown in FIG. An operation for releasing the closed state of the flow path is performed. By this release operation, the cylindrical body 30 rotates in the R direction around the central axis 33, and the edge of the arch-shaped notch 32 hits the spherical valve 16 seated on the valve seat 21, forcing the spherical valve 16. It is made to detach | leave from the valve seat 21, and the closed state of a flow path is cancelled | released. As a result, a flow path from the valve chamber 13 to the secondary flow path 14 is ensured, so that beer can flow into the valve chamber 13 from the inflow portion 23. The spherical valve 16 is lifted by buoyancy and is attracted to a vortex formed by the flowing liquid. Due to such an action, the spherical valve 12 can instantaneously return to the position shown in FIG. 2 during the release operation, and the supply of beer to the beer server 3 can be resumed. The operation so far is instantaneous, and if the supply of beer is resumed, it is necessary to quickly return the operation unit 35 to the original position and to direct the notch 32 to the position facing the valve seat 21. It is.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the notch 32 provided at the lower part of the cylindrical body 30 functions as the release means 37 for releasing the state in which the spherical valve 16 is seated on the valve seat 21, so that it is separately provided in the valve chamber 13. There is no need to provide a structure such as a reset valve, the release function is realized with a relatively simple structure, and the release operation is extremely simple.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to what was mentioned above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the notch 32 through which the spherical valve 16 can pass through at least a part of the cylindrical body 30 extended to a position substantially the same height as the valve seat 21 or a position lower than that. The case where the release means 37 for releasing the state in which the spherical valve 16 is seated on the valve seat 21 is configured by providing the above is illustrated. However, the release means in the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, it is formed so that the lower end portion of the cylindrical body 30 is positioned higher than the valve seat 21, and at least one of the lower end portions is formed. The release means 37 may be configured by providing a bar extending downward at a location and extending this bar to at least the same height as the valve seat 21. In this case, as the cylindrical body 30 rotates, the rod extending from the lower end of the cylindrical body 30 hits the spherical valve 16 seated on the valve seat 21, forcing the spherical valve 16 to the valve seat 21. It is possible to release the closed state of the flow path by separating from the.

It is a figure which shows the whole liquid supply apparatus provided with the liquid supply cutoff valve which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of the liquid supply in a liquid supply cutoff valve. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of the temporary stop of the liquid supply in a liquid supply cutoff valve. It is a figure which shows the state from which the beer residual amount of the tank ran out in the liquid supply cutoff valve. It is a figure which shows the state which operated the cancellation | release means in the liquid supply cutoff valve.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beer tank 2 Carbon dioxide gas cylinder 3 Beer server 4 Cock 5 Supply shutoff valve 11, 12 Primary side flow path 13 Valve chamber 13a Inner chamber part 13b Outer chamber part 14 Secondary side channel 16 Spherical valve 21 Valve seat 23 Inflow part 30 Cylindrical body 31 Opening part 32 Notch part 33 Center axis 35 Operation part 37 Release means

Claims (4)

In the middle of the liquid flow path energized by the gas pressure, a primary flow path, a secondary flow path, and a valve chamber are provided between them, and the secondary flow path of the valve chamber has a valve A liquid supply shutoff valve having a seat and a spherical valve having a specific gravity smaller than the liquid in the flow passage in the valve chamber, and the valve seat is positioned lower than the inflow portion with respect to the valve chamber of the primary flow passage In
A cylindrical body is provided in the valve chamber in a state where a gap is formed between the inner wall of the valve chamber, the inflow portion is provided inside the cylindrical body, and the spherical valve is accommodated in the cylindrical body, The liquid supply shut-off valve, wherein an opening for guiding the liquid flowing in from the inflow portion to the gap is provided on a side surface of the cylindrical body.   The cylindrical body is rotatable about the central axis of the cylinder, and a release means for releasing the state in which the spherical valve is seated on the valve seat is provided at the lower portion of the cylindrical body. 2. The liquid supply shutoff valve according to claim 1, wherein the release means causes the spherical valve to separate from the valve seat in accordance with an operation.   The release means is a notch that allows the lower end of the cylindrical body to extend to a position that is substantially the same height as the valve seat or a position that is lower than that, and allows the spherical valve to pass through at least a part of the skirt. The liquid supply cutoff valve according to claim 2, wherein the liquid supply cutoff valve is formed by providing a portion.   The release means is formed by providing a rod body extending downward from a lower end portion of the cylindrical body, and extending the rod body to at least the same height as the valve seat. Liquid supply shutoff valve as described.

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