JPH06117552A - Pinch valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a pinch valve which can conduct the changeover of a pinch-pressure position and an open position by extremely simple operation that is manual and also can conduct easily the exchange or the like of tubes at the open position and at the same time can conduct surely pinch-pressure and closing up at the pinch-pressure position even if a tube is the one whose free diameter is large. CONSTITUTION:At the time of the non-electrification of a solenoid, the pinch portion 21A of a pinch member is kept at a position to conduct the pinch- pressure and closing-up of a tube 6 by means of the oppressive force of a return spring in co-work with the guide portion 15 of a pinch guide 14. When the solenoid is impressed with an electric current, the pinch member is attracted, and the closed-up state of the tube 6 ceases to exist, and the supply of a fluid becomes possible. In the case of tube 6 exchange or the like being carried out during a device pause, the pinch guide 14 is opened by the operation of a pinch opening/closing lever 31 and the exchange of tubes 6 is conducted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pinch valve in which an elastic tube made of rubber or the like is pressed to close a fluid passage, and more specifically, when the coil is energized, the pressing force of the elastic tube is reduced. The present invention relates to a pinch valve that is driven by an open solenoid that is released when energized.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a food and drink supply device has been used for providing food and drink for each customer. In such a food / drink supply device, food / drinks are usually sterilized, food / drinks are automatically filled, and the food / drinks are supplied to a receiver from a sealed container and packaging. However, food and drink are not always supplied, and downtime may occur due to the number of customers, and a long downtime may occur due to the business hours at the place where the food and drink supply device is installed. On the other hand, since many foods and drinks are rich in water and nutrients, if they stay for a long time in a tube that conveys foods and drinks to the receptor, for example, they proliferate miscellaneous bacteria, which is not preferable in terms of hygiene. Therefore,
To prevent food and drink from staying, the tube is a continuous tube with no intermediate connection, and in order to prevent food and drink inside the tube from contacting the outside air, a tube clamping means (hereinafter, referred to as a pinch valve) is arranged near the tube outlet, The tube is sealed by this except when the food or drink is poured out.

An example of this type of pinch valve is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-3021.
As shown in FIG. 6, the pinch valve disclosed herein cooperates with a pin 42, which is a fixed pinching member fixed to a support member 41, and a movable iron core 43 of an electromagnet device, which is a moving pinching member. 6 is clamped. Here, in this type of food and drink supply device, it is necessary to regularly replace the tube 6 from the viewpoint of hygiene. From the viewpoint of safety, it is desirable that the replacement work of the tube 6 can be performed manually without operating the device, because it is often performed when the device is at rest. Therefore, by pushing the push button 44 attached to the tip of the movable iron core 43, it is possible to manually release the clamping pressure of the tube 6 for the convenience of replacing the tube 6 and inspecting the device. Push button 4
When 4 is pressed, the state shown in FIG. 7 is reached, and the pinch valve can be inspected and the tube 6 can be replaced.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional pinch valve, the push button 44 is pushed in when the pinching pressure of the tube 6 is manually released against the elastic force of the return spring 45 of the electromagnet device. It must be made. Here, in the return spring 45, the movable iron core 43 has the tube 6
It is intended to securely close the flow path of the fluid by pinching, and the elastic force must not be too weak. Therefore, pushing the push button 44 requires a considerable amount of force. In addition, push button 44 once
Even if the user pushes in, if the user releases his hand, the elastic force of the return spring 45 will immediately return to the state of FIG. 6, so it is necessary to keep pressing the push button 44 at all times during replacement of the tube 6 or inspection of the device. Absent.

Further, the movable iron core 43 has a specially shaped notch 4
It is necessary to form the holes 6 and the holes 47, resulting in high cost. Further, since the pin 42 fixedly provided in the support member 48 is used as a fixed pinching member that pinches the tube 6 in cooperation with the movable iron core 43, there are naturally restrictions on the design of the pin 42. Therefore, when the free diameter of the tube 6 is too large, the tube 6 may not be clamped securely depending on the pin 42 and the sealing may be insufficient.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a pinch guide member for pinching a tube in cooperation with a pinch member is provided with a pinching position for the tube and an open position for releasing the pinching pressure. It is possible to rotate between the pinch guide member and the pinch guide member at the pinching position, and it is possible to switch between the pinching position and the open position by an extremely simple manual operation. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a low cost pinch valve that allows easy tube replacement at the clamping position and can reliably clamp and seal even a tube with a large free diameter at the clamping position. To do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a pinch valve of the present invention comprises a coil arranged in a frame, a fixed iron core fixed in the coil, and a movable element in the coil. The inserted movable iron core, a spring that represses the movable iron core in a direction to separate it from the fixed iron core, and a pinch member fixed to the end of the movable iron core opposite to the side facing the fixed iron core, It has a pinch guide member arranged to face the pinch member, and a tube which is inserted between the pinch member and the pinch guide member to form a fluid flow path, and the pinch member and the pinch via the elastic force of the spring. A pinch valve for pinching the tube by cooperation with a guide member,
The pinch guide member is supported by the frame so as to be rotatable between a pinching position of the tube and an open position for releasing the pinching pressure. Further, the above-mentioned configuration is characterized in that a fixing member for fixing the pinch guide member at the clamping position is provided.

[0008]

In the present invention having the above structure, the movable iron core is urged in the direction away from the fixed iron core by the urging force of the spring when the coil is not energized, whereby the pinch member is the pinch guide member. The tube inserted between the two is pinched in cooperation with. In this state, the tube is sealed and the flow path is blocked. On the other hand, when the coil is energized to open the flow path of the tube, the movable iron core is attracted to the fixed iron core side against the biasing force of the spring, and as a result, the pinch member moves together with the movable iron core. Since it moves in the coil, it is separated from the pinch guide member. Thereby, the pinching pressure of the tube is released, the flow path is opened, and the fluid can be transferred in the tube.

When the tube is replaced, the pinch guide member is released from the pinching position by manually moving the pinch guide member from the pinching position of the tube to the open position while the coil is not energized. To move. In this state, the tube is exposed to the outside, and work such as tube replacement is performed. After the tube replacement work is completed, the pinch guide member is rotated from the open position to the clamping position and fixed at the clamping position via the fixing member. As a result, the tube is pinched again by the cooperation of the pinch member and the pinch guide member.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a pinch valve for a food and drink supply device will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of the pinch valve 1 including the drive solenoid S. FIG. 1 shows a closed state of the tube 6, and FIG. 2 shows an opened state of the tube 6. In FIG. 1, at the right end of the pinch case 28, a projecting guide portion 15 (a pinch portion 2 of a pinch member 21, which will be described later) formed in the width direction (see FIG. 3) of the pinch case 28.
A pinch guide 14 integrally provided with (to clamp the tube 6 in cooperation with 1A) is rotatably attached (see FIG. 4).

A back end frame 27 is combined behind the pinch case 28, and a pipe-shaped bobbin 26 is wound inside the back end frame 27.
A solenoid S composed of a coil in which 4 is wound is inserted. Here, the solenoid S is preferably a known three-terminal two-layer type. This is because the drive mechanism of the pinch valve 1 can be downsized by adopting the three-terminal two-layer solenoid as compared with the case of using a normal two-terminal solenoid.

A fixed iron core 25 is fixed to the right end of the back end frame 27 in FIG. 1 inside the bobbin 26 by caulking, and to the right of the fixed iron core 25 is a movable iron core 23. Is slidably inserted in the bobbin 26 in the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the fixed iron core 25 limits the movement of the movable iron core 23 to the left. Further, a locking piece 23A is provided at the right side of the movable iron core 23.
The return spring 22 is fitted between the locking piece 23A and the left side wall 28A of the pinch case 28. In this return spring 22, the movable iron core 23 is fixed to the fixed iron core 2.
The pressure is constantly suppressed in the direction away from 5 (rightward in FIGS. 1 and 2).

Further, a pinch member 21 having a projecting pinch portion 21A formed across the width direction of the pinch case 28 (see FIG. 3) is fixed to the right end portion of the movable iron core 23. The pinch portion 21A is arranged to face the guide portion 15 of the pinch guide 14 described above. A tube guide hole 28B is formed in the pinch case 28, and the tube 6 forming a flow path for a fluid such as a liquid is inserted between the pinch portion 21A and the guide portion 15 in the tube guide hole 28B. ing. As a result, when the solenoid S is not energized, the movable iron core 23 is pressed rightward in the figure by the elastic force of the return spring 22, and therefore the pinch portion 21A of the pinch member 21 attached to the right end of the movable iron core 23. However, the tube 6 is pinched in cooperation with the guide portion 15 of the pinch guide 14. As a result, the flow path of the fluid flowing down the tube 6 is sealed.

Here, it is not necessary to form a notch or a hole having a special shape in the movable iron core 23, which causes a high cost. And
The guide portion 15 and the pinch portion 21A are provided in the pinch case 28.
Since they are integrally formed as part of the pinch guide 14 and the pinch member 21, respectively, in the width direction of, the guide portion 15 and the pinch portion 21A cooperate with each other even when the tube 6 has a large free diameter. By the action, the tube 6 can be reliably pinched and sealed. Therefore, if the return spring 22 has an elastic force above a certain level, the tube 6 can be reliably pinched and sealed.

When a predetermined current is applied to the winding wire 24 of the solenoid S from the state where the tube 6 is clamped as described above (state of FIG. 1), the movable iron is moved by the current magnetic action of the solenoid S. The core 23 is attracted toward the fixed iron core 25 side against the elastic force of the return spring 22, and as a result, the pinch member 2
The pinching pressure of the tube 6 by the pinch guide 14 and the pinch guide 14 is released. This is the open state shown in FIG. When the electric current is cut off, the movable iron core 23 and the pinch member 21 are
Due to the elastic force of the return spring 22, the spring is pressed again in the right direction in the figure to be in the closed state shown in FIG.

Next, the opening / closing function of the pinch guide 14 for separating the guide portion 15 from the holding position will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a front view of the pinch guide 14 having an opening / closing function and its periphery, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pinch guide 14 and its periphery. 3 and 4, the pinch guide 14 is rotatably supported by the pinch case 28 via a vertical pinch guide shaft 30, and a pinch opening / closing lever 31 (solid line position in FIG. 3).
Is fixed at the position shown. In this state, the guide portion 15 of the pinch guide 14 cooperates with the pinch portion 21A of the pinch member 21 to pinch and seal the tube 6 as described above.

Move the pinch opening / closing lever 31 90 degrees counterclockwise.
When rotated by ° to the state indicated by the broken line in Fig. 3, the pinch guide 1
4 is released from the fixed state and can be rotated around the pinch guide shaft 30 to the opened state of FIG. Since this operation is not performed while resisting the elastic force of the return spring 22, no particular force is required. And the open state of FIG.
Even if the pinch member 14 is released from the hand, the pinch member 14 is maintained as it is. Therefore, it is convenient that the tube 6 can be replaced and the device can be easily inspected.

In the opened state, the tube 6 has the guide portion 15 of the pinch guide 14 and the pinch portion 2 of the pinch member 21.
Since the pinching force with 1A is released, the tube 6 can be replaced without energizing the solenoid S and sucking the movable iron core 23. Therefore, there is no risk of electric shock during replacement work. After the replacement, the pinch guide 14 is returned to the closed position and the pinch opening / closing lever 31 is brought into the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
Can be put into a sealed state and returned to the used state. This allows
Even when the device is in a resting state, it is possible to realize a pinch valve with good workability, in which the tube replacement work can be safely performed and the working state can be restored.

As described above in detail, in the pinch valve 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the pinch guide 14 is provided between the pinching position of the tube 6 by the pinch guide shaft 30 and the open position where the pinching pressure is released. Since it is rotatably supported with respect to 28 and is fixed to and released from the pinching position via the pinch opening / closing lever 31, the pinching position and the open position can be operated by an extremely simple manual operation. Switching can be performed. In the pinching position fixed by the pinch opening / closing lever 31, the pinch case 2
8 across the width direction of the pinch member 21 and the pinch guide 1
Since the tube 6 is pinched and sealed by the cooperation of the pinch portion 21A and the guide portion 15 formed on both sides of No. 4, even if the tube 6 having a large free diameter is pinched,
Can be sealed.

Further, since the tube 6 is exposed to the outside of the pinch valve 1 and is maintained in the exposed state at the open position where the fixing by the pinch lever 31 is released, it is possible to replace the tube 6 with excellent workability. Work can be performed easily. As a result, unlike the conventional pinch valve described above, it is not necessary to perform any work for opening the tube 6 against the elastic force of the return spring 22. In addition, since the movable iron core 23 used in the present embodiment does not need to have a notch or a hole having a complicated shape unlike the movable iron core in the conventional pinch valve, it is not necessary to form the entire pinch valve 1. The manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The pinch valve of this embodiment is used to open and close a tube for supplying food and drink which is used in a food and drink supplying device, for example, a beverage server for juice or the like, or a server for hot drink such as coffee by adding a heating function. It is suitable for use in a mechanism. In addition, since the food and drink to be supplied need not be solid, it may be soup or the like without being limited to beverages, and it is also possible to supply foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers with seasonings such as ketchup and mayonnaise. To be The embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention, and it is needless to say that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, a combination with a specified amount delivery means such as a roller pump in a food and drink supply device which is known from JP-A-2-109895 can be considered. Further, in the above embodiment, the 3-terminal 2-layer solenoid is adopted as the solenoid S for driving the pinch member 21, but a normal 2-terminal solenoid may be used. Further, it is not limited to food and drink, and may be one that supplies a drug solution or the like.

[0022]

As is clear from the above description, in the pinch valve of the present invention, the pinch guide member for pinching the tube in cooperation with the pinch member is provided at the pinching position of the tube and the open position for releasing the pinching pressure. The pinch guide member can be fixed at the pinching position as well as being rotatable between the pinching position, so it is possible to switch between the pinching position and the open position by an extremely simple manual operation, and also to open. It is possible to easily perform tube replacement at the position and securely pinch and seal even a tube with a large free diameter at the pinching position, thus providing a low cost pinch valve. , Its effect is great.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pinch valve showing a state in which a tube is pinched.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pinch valve showing a state in which the tube is not clamped.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a pinch guide.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pinch guide in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pinch guide in an open state.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a tube is pinched in a conventional pinch valve.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a tube is not pinched in a conventional pinch valve.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Pinch valve 6 Tube 14 Pinch guide 15 Guide part 21 Pinch member 22 Return spring 23 Moving iron core 24 Winding 25 Fixed iron core 27 Back end frame 28 Pinch case 30 Pinch guide shaft 31 Pinch opening / closing lever S Solenoid

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A coil arranged in a frame, a fixed iron core fixed in the coil, a movable iron core movably inserted in the coil, and a movable iron core separated from the fixed iron core. A spring that elastically presses in the direction, a pinch member fixed to the end of the movable iron core opposite to the side facing the fixed iron core, a pinch guide member arranged to face the pinch member, a pinch member and a pinch guide member. A pinch valve that is inserted between the pinch member and a pinch guide member through elastic force of the spring, the pinch valve pinching the tube. The pinch valve, wherein the guide member is supported by the frame so as to be rotatable between a clamping position of the tube and an opening position for releasing the clamping pressure. 2. The pinch valve according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing member that fixes the pinch guide member at the pinching position.