JP6147324B2 - Exhaust valve and air dryer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exhaust valve for discharging drain and air generated by a drying process in an air dryer for drying compressed air. The present invention also relates to an air dryer provided with the exhaust valve.

  For example, an air dryer that removes moisture and oil in compressed air sent from an air compressor in a brake device for a large automobile is known. Such an air dryer has an air intake port for taking in compressed air (compressed air before removal of moisture and oil) from an air compressor, and a processing air outlet for delivering dry air after removing moisture and oil. In addition, it is equipped with a drain valve for discharging the removed moisture and oil (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this specification, this drain valve is referred to as an exhaust valve from the viewpoint of discharging air.

JP 2007-136403 A JP 2009-119426 A

  Hereinafter, in order to clarify the problem to be solved by the present invention, the configuration of the exhaust valve according to the prior art will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an exhaust valve according to the prior art.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 50 denotes an air dryer provided with an exhaust valve according to the prior art. The air dryer 50 includes a drying unit 53 on an upper portion of a base member 52 serving as a base thereof. Compressed air discharged from an air compressor (not shown) is taken into the air dryer 50 from an air intake port (not shown) formed in the base member 52.

  The compressed air taken into the air dryer 50 is freed of moisture and oil in the drying section 53, is output from an output port (not shown) formed in the base member 52, and is stored in an external air tank or the like. It is used for driving an air driving device such as an air brake. The configuration of the drying unit 53 is not necessary for the description of the problem of the present invention, and therefore, the detailed configuration inside the drying unit 53 and the description thereof are omitted here.

  A part of the compressed air from which moisture and oil are removed in the air dryer 50 is also supplied to a pressure governor (not shown) built in the air dryer 50. The pressure governor (not shown) outputs a control command pressure for opening the exhaust valve 56 provided at the lower portion of the air dryer 50 when the dry processed air delivered from the air dryer 50 reaches a predetermined upper limit pressure. In FIG. 3, the code | symbol 55 has shown the control room from which the control command pressure is output.

  When the exhaust valve 56 is opened, the compressed air supplied from an air compressor (not shown) is discharged from the exhaust valve 56, that is, the supply of the compressed air into the drying unit 53 is stopped. At this time, the air in the drying unit 53 flows in the direction opposite to that during the drying process due to the decompression action, thereby washing the oil filter (not shown) in the drying unit 53 and removing the moisture accumulated in the exhaust valve 56. Oil is discharged to the outside along with air. At this time, the dried air in the drying unit 53 is discharged to the outside while taking moisture away from the drying agent (not shown) in the drying unit 53, so that the drying agent is regenerated. Reference numeral 69 denotes a silencer that reduces a plosive sound that accompanies sudden air discharge at this time.

  When the control command pressure sent from the pressure governor (not shown) decreases and the pressure in the control chamber 55 decreases, the exhaust valve 56 closes and the compressed air is again supplied to the drying unit 53, and the drying unit It returns to the dry processing state of the compressed air in 53.

  Here, in the conventional exhaust valve 56, the piston 58, the valve body (seal) 60, the base 61, the bolt 62, and the O-ring 59 constitute a valve body 57 that moves up and down. In the present specification, the piston 58, the valve body (seal) 60, the base 61, the bolt 62, and the O-ring 59 (in the case of the prior art), a set of components that move up and down in the exhaust valve. Is referred to as a “valve body”.

The piston 58 is formed of a metal material so as to form a T shape, and includes a large-diameter piston upper portion 58a and a small-diameter piston lower portion 58b.
The valve body 60 is formed integrally with the base 61 by molding, and is connected to the piston 58 by a bolt 62 to constitute the valve body 57. The valve body (seal) 60 is made of an elastic material, and the base 61 is made of a metal material.

  Reference numeral 63 denotes a valve seat, and the exhaust valve 56 opens and closes when the valve body 60 moves toward and away from the valve seat 63 as the valve body 57 moves up and down. The valve seat 63 is formed by an opening formed in the valve base 64, and the valve base 64 is accommodated in an opening 52 a formed in the base member 52, and does not drop downward by a C ring indicated by reference numeral 67. It is fixed like. Reference numeral 66 denotes an O-ring that exhibits a sealing function. Reference numeral 65 denotes a return spring that urges the piston 58 upward (in the valve closing direction).

  Here, a part of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor in a loaded state is supplied to the pressure chamber 54 to generate a predetermined pressure. This pressure is generated by the piston upper part 58a and the valve body (seal). It is designed to be applied to both 60s. That is, an upward pressing force is applied to the piston upper portion 58a, and a downward pressing force is applied to the valve body 60.

  However, when the air compressor is loaded, the exhaust valve 56 needs to be kept closed, that is, when the air compressor is loaded, the force that presses the valve body 57 in the valve closing direction needs to be dominant. Therefore, it is necessary to form the pressure receiving area of the piston upper portion 58a so as to be larger than the pressure receiving area of the valve body (seal) 60. For this reason, the piston 58 has a T shape with a large upper diameter as shown in the figure. ing. Thus, the exhaust valve 56 can be reliably maintained in the closed state when the air compressor is loaded.

  However, on the other hand, since it is necessary to increase the pressure receiving area of the piston upper part 58a, it is necessary to increase the opening 52a (formed in the base member 52) for accommodating the components of the exhaust valve 56, and the valve Since it is necessary to reduce the pressure receiving area of the body (seal) 60, it is necessary to interpose a valve base 64 as a separate member and form a valve seat 63 there.

  For the reasons described above, the conventional exhaust valve 56 needs to have a large opening 52a, so that the valve base 64 is enlarged, which causes an increase in cost. In addition, since a large pressure is applied to the valve base 64 in the loaded state of the air conditioner, it is necessary to ensure a predetermined strength for the C-ring 67 for fixing the valve base 64, resulting in further cost increase.

  Further, because the piston 58 has a T-shape with a large upper diameter for the above-described reason, the valve body 57 that moves up and down cannot be integrated because of assembly. In particular, since the piston 58 and the base 61 cannot be formed integrally, the valve main body 57 has to be constituted by these separate members such as the piston 58, the valve body 60, the base 61, and the bolt 62 as described above. .

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to simplify the structure and reduce the cost of an exhaust valve provided in an air dryer for drying compressed air supplied from an air compressor. There is.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a valve that discharges drain and air generated by a drying process in an air dryer that performs a drying process on compressed air supplied from an air compressor. An exhaust valve that is configured to open under the control command pressure from the pressure governor when the compressed air reaches the specified pressure and receives the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor. A valve body that is pressed in the valve direction; and an urging means that urges the valve body in a valve closing direction against the pressure of the compressed air, and the pressure of the compressed air is increased by the urging force of the urging means. When the control command pressure from the pressure governor is received, the control command pressure is opened against the biasing force of the biasing means. And wherein the door.

  According to this aspect, the valve body of the exhaust valve is structured to be pressed not in the valve closing direction but in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor, unlike the conventional one. Since it is configured to maintain the valve closed state by the urging force of the urging means in the loaded state, the piston constituting the valve body is formed in a T shape with a large upper diameter in relation to the pressure receiving area as in the prior art. There is no need to do.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to ensure a large opening for accommodating the valve main body, thereby making it possible to downsize the large-diameter valve base that has been conventionally required, or to eliminate the valve base itself. Further, it is not necessary to configure the valve main body with multiple members for the convenience of assembly, and it is also possible to make an integral configuration. As described above, the structure of the exhaust valve can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the valve body is formed by integrally forming a piston member that slides in a valve opening / closing direction and a valve body that contacts the valve seat, and the valve seat includes the air dryer. It is formed using a part of base member which forms the base of this.

  According to this aspect, since the piston member that slides in the valve opening / closing direction and the valve body that contacts the valve seat are integrally formed, the cost of the valve that moves in the vertical direction can be reduced. it can. Further, since the valve seat is formed using a part of the base member of the air dryer, that is, integrally with the base member, the exhaust valve can be further simplified in structure and cost can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air dryer for drying compressed air, comprising the exhaust valve according to the first or second aspect for discharging drain generated by the drying process. .
According to this aspect, in the air dryer, the above-described first or second similar operational effect can be obtained.

Sectional drawing (valve closed state) of the exhaust valve which concerns on this invention. Sectional drawing of the exhaust valve which concerns on this invention (valve open state). Sectional drawing of the exhaust valve which concerns on a prior art.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and the following embodiment will be described on the assumption that the present invention is not limited.

  1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of an exhaust valve 5 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a valve closing state, and FIG. 2 shows a valve opening state. In each drawing, necessary lines are appropriately omitted in order to prevent complication of the drawing. Further, since the other configuration of the air dryer except the exhaust valve 5 is the same as that of the prior art air dryer described with reference to FIG. 3, the illustration thereof is omitted in FIGS. Description is omitted.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 3 denotes a control chamber that outputs a control command pressure from a pressure governor (not shown), and reference numeral 4 denotes a pressure that receives the pressure of compressed air supplied from an air compressor (not shown). 3 corresponds to the control chamber 55 and the pressure chamber 54 in the exhaust valve 56 according to the prior art described with reference to FIG.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a base member (for example, a metal molded product made of aluminum or an alloy) that constitutes the base of the air dryer, and an upper portion 7a of a piston 7 described later is vertically moved in an opening 2a formed in the base member 2. It is slidably inserted. The base member 2 is formed with a convex guide portion 2b, and a guided hole 7b is formed in the upper portion of the piston 7. When the guide portion 2b enters the guided portion 7b, the piston 2 The piston 7 is guided by the guide portion 2b when the valve 7 moves up and down.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the valve seat 12 is mentioned as a characteristic of the structure formed in the base member 2. FIG. That is, the valve seat 12 is formed using a part of the base member 2, that is, integrally with the base member 2.

  Subsequently, in the exhaust valve 5 according to the present invention, a piston 7 and a valve body (seal) 9 are integrally formed by molding, and the valve body 6 is configured by the piston 7 and the valve body 9. The valve body (seal) 9 is made of an elastic material, and the piston 7 is made of a metal material.

  Unlike the conventional exhaust valve 56 shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust valve 5 according to the present invention is configured to receive a pressing force in the valve opening direction by the air pressure received from the pressure chamber 4. Therefore, when the air compressor (not shown) is loaded, the exhaust valve 5 maintains the closed state by the urging force of the return spring (which urges the piston 7 in the valve closing direction) as the urging means indicated by reference numeral 11. It is supposed to do.

  When a control command pressure is received from a pressure governor (not shown), the exhaust valve 5 is lowered against the urging force of the return spring 11 due to the pressure in the control chamber 3 and is opened, and the compressed air is drawn. It is discharged through a route as indicated by an arrow f in FIG. Reference numeral 16 denotes a cylindrical body formed integrally with the base member 2, reference numeral 15 denotes a pedestal of the return spring, and reference numeral 14 denotes a C-ring for fixing the pedestal 15.

  Reference numeral 16a indicates a slit formed in the cylindrical body 16, and reference numeral 20 indicates an expansion chamber. The air discharged through the exhaust valve 5 is guided to the sound absorbing material accommodation chamber indicated by reference numeral 21 through the slit 16a and the expansion chamber 20. The sound absorbing material accommodating chamber 21 is filled with a sound absorbing material such as a porous material, and the exhaust air is discharged to the outside through a sound absorbing material and a discharge hole (not shown) formed in the lid member 22. It has become like that.

  Here, the exhaust valve 5 needs to be kept closed until a control pressure (pressure in the control chamber 3) from a pressure governor (not shown) reaches a predetermined pressure. Further, when the control pressure (pressure in the control chamber 3) from a pressure governor (not shown) reaches a predetermined pressure, it is necessary to reliably open the valve.

  From this point of view, the pressure receiving area of the valve body 6 by the control pressure from the pressure governor (pressure in the control chamber 3), the pressure receiving area of the valve body 6 by the compressed air in the pressure chamber 4, and the return spring 11 provide the valve body. The biasing force when biasing 6 is designed.

  As described above, according to the exhaust valve 5 according to the present invention, the valve body 6 is configured to be pressed not in the valve closing direction but in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor. Since the closed state is maintained by the urging force of the return spring 11 when the compressor is loaded, the piston 7 is related to the pressure receiving area like the exhaust valve according to the prior art described with reference to FIG. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a T shape with a large upper diameter.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to ensure a large opening 2a for accommodating the piston 7, thereby eliminating the need for a large-diameter valve base (reference numeral 64 in FIG. 3), which contributes to cost reduction and reduces the pressure receiving member. Therefore, the strength can be improved. Further, it is not necessary to configure the valve body 6 with multiple members for the convenience of assembly, and in this embodiment, the valve body 6 can be composed of only the piston 7 and the valve body 9, and the structure of the exhaust valve is simplified. As well as cost reduction.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, since the valve seat 12 uses a part of the base member 2 of the air dryer, that is, is integrally formed with the base member 2, the structure of the exhaust valve is further simplified and the cost is reduced. Can be achieved. In the present embodiment, the valve seat 12 is formed using a part of the base member 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be provided on another member.

  In addition, as described above, the valve body 6 is configured to be pressed not in the valve closing direction but in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor. Since the valve closing state is maintained by the urging force, the valve is opened when the pressure of the compressed air becomes an abnormal pressure in the load state of the air compressor. Therefore, the exhaust valve 5 can be used as a safety valve.

2 Base member 3 Control chamber 4 Pressure chamber 5 Exhaust valve 6 Valve body 7 Piston 8 O-ring 9 Valve body 11 Return spring 12 Valve seat 13 Seal 14 C-ring 15 Base 16 Tubular body 20 Expansion chamber 21 Sound absorbing material accommodation chamber 22 Lid Element

Claims (3)

A valve that discharges the drain and air generated by the drying process in the air dryer that dries the compressed air supplied from the air compressor. In the closed state, the valve receives the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor and defines the compressed air. An exhaust valve having a configuration that opens upon receipt of a control command pressure from the pressure governor when the pressure is reached,
A valve body pressed in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air;
Urging means for urging the valve body in a valve closing direction against the pressure of compressed air,
The biasing means is provided on the side of the valve body that is pressed in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air, on the side that is in the valve opening direction with respect to the pressed part.
The valve body is a structure that is pressed not in the valve closing direction but in the valve opening direction by the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air compressor,
The valve closing state is maintained against the pressure of the compressed air by the biasing force of the biasing means, and when the control command pressure is received from the pressure governor, the control command pressure is against the biasing force of the biasing means. It has a structure to open the valve,
An exhaust valve characterized by that. In the exhaust valve according to claim 1,
The valve body is
A piston member that slides in the opening and closing direction of the valve;
And a valve body in contact with the valve seat,
The valve seat is formed using a part of a base member that forms a base of the air dryer ,
The biasing means is a return spring;
A cylindrical body that is provided on the base member and positions the valve seat, the valve body, and the return spring inside;
A pedestal that is provided on the cylindrical body and that holds the return spring inside the cylindrical body in contact with the end of the return spring opposite to the side that contacts the valve body;
A slit formed in the cylindrical body,
The discharge of the compressed air is discharged from the cylindrical body through the slit when the valve is opened, and is led to a sound absorbing material storage chamber that is located downstream of the discharging direction and stores the sound absorbing material. Configured to run ,
An exhaust valve characterized by that. An air dryer for drying compressed air, comprising the exhaust valve according to claim 1 or 2, which discharges drain and air generated by the drying process.
An air dryer characterized by that.

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