JPH0942505A - Safety valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively suspend the supply of a fuel gas by detecting earthquake on the occurrence of the earthquake without requiring a control circuit or the like and to easily, visually assure an operating state. SOLUTION: Provided are a ball 1 consisting of a magnetic substance, a ball seat 3 for isolating the ball 1 from a gas passage 10 and having a ball- holding surface, loosely, movably holding the ball 1, in a substantially convex surface shape, a ball case 9 constituted so that the position of the ball 1 may visually be assured, and a permanent magnet 5 reciprocatively interposed in substantially upward and downward directions at the lower part the ball seat 3, and attracted at its upper part to the ball 1. Also provided are a valve plug mechanism part 8 having at its lower part a valve plug 7 coming in contact with and separating from a valve seat 6, the valve seat 6 coming in contact with and separating from the valve plug 7, and energizing means 12 for closing the gas passage 10 by separating the permanent magnet 5 from the ball 1 while overcoming attractive force afforded by the permanent magnet 5 when force is acted to roll the ball 1 on the ball seat 3 due to vibration or inclination and by pressing the valve plug 7 against the valve seat 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is suitable for use in a safety valve for detecting an earthquake when it occurs and for surely stopping the supply of fuel gas and the like, and in particular for a device having no control circuit. Regarding safety valve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a table stove that uses combustible gas as a fuel has a built-in safety device that combines a thermocouple and a solenoid valve (safety valve), and the thermocouple circuit uses a mercury switch as a vibration sensor for earthquakes. (When two electrodes are connected via mercury and mercury vibrates due to vibration and one of the electrodes stops contacting with mercury,
There is a switch in which a switch (FF) is installed in series and the solenoid valve is closed when the mercury switch is cut off in the event of an earthquake to ensure safety in the event of an earthquake.

Further, in a gas appliance for electrically controlling fuel gas, such as a gas fan heater, a mercury switch is incorporated in the control circuit, and when the mercury switch detects occurrence of an earthquake or fall of the appliance. The supply of fuel gas is stopped.

There is also a so-called microcomputer meter in which a mercury switch is incorporated and a solenoid valve in the microcomputer meter is turned off to stop the fuel gas supply when an earthquake occurs.

In addition to the mercury switch described above, a ball made of a magnetic material is movably held on a ball seat, and when the earthquake occurs, the ball swings, so that the valve element attracted to the ball by magnetic force is generated. A ball type safety valve has been proposed in which the gas passage is blocked by utilizing the fact that the ball is separated from the ball.

[0006]

However, as described above, providing the mercury switch in the thermocouple circuit causes an increase in the internal resistance value of the thermocouple circuit, which adversely affects the original performance and quality. There is a problem.

Further, a method of incorporating a mercury switch as an earthquake sensor into a device such as a gas fan heater, which is electrically controlled, is a preferable method for ensuring safety, but the electrical control is performed. Gas stoves that are not available have a problem that they cannot be applied as they are due to economic restrictions.

Further, in the method of incorporating a mercury switch or the like in the microcomputer meter to shut off the fuel gas in the event of an earthquake, it takes time to stop the combustion of the gas appliance because of the residual pressure in the fuel gas pipe. There is a problem.

Further, in the ball type safety valve, conventionally, there is a problem in that the operating state cannot be visually confirmed from the outside and the usability is poor.

The present invention solves the above problems, and it is possible to detect the occurrence of an earthquake and reliably stop the supply of fuel gas without the need for a control circuit or the like. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a safety valve whose operating state can be easily visually checked.

[0011]

To achieve the above object, a safety valve according to the present invention separates a ball made of a magnetic material from a gas passage through which a fuel gas passes, and at the same time, allows the ball to move freely. A ball seat having a ball holding surface formed in a substantially convex shape, a ball case made of a material capable of visually confirming the position of the ball held movably on the ball seat, and the ball A valve element which is disposed below the seat so as to be reciprocally movable in a substantially vertical direction and has a permanent magnet which is indirectly attracted to the ball through at least the ball seat in the upper part and which is separated from and in contact with the following valve seat in the lower part And a valve seat that is provided in a part of the fuel gas passage and that opens and closes the gas passage by separating and contacting the valve, and there is no vibration or tilt, and the ball is stationary. When doing Admits that the attraction force of the permanent magnet is larger than the biasing force thereof, the permanent magnet is attracted to the ball, the valve body mechanism portion is located above, and the gas passage is in an open state. However, when a force that causes the ball to float on the ball seat due to vibration or tilt is generated, the attraction force of the permanent magnet is overcome and the permanent magnet is separated from the ball to move the valve body mechanism section. Is moved downward and the valve body is pressed against the valve seat to shut off the gas passage.

The valve body mechanism section includes a rod made of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet attached to the upper portion of the rod by its magnetic force, and a valve body made of an elastic material attached to the lower portion of the rod. It is characterized by being equipped.

From the closed state in which the permanent magnet is pulled away from the ball and the valve body is pressed against the valve seat,
A reset mechanism is provided for returning the valve body to the open state by separating the valve body from the valve seat and attracting the permanent magnet to the ball.

Further, it is characterized in that the ball case is made of a transparent material.

[0015]

[Action] When an earthquake occurs and a gas appliance or the like having a safety valve attached thereto vibrates or tilts, the ball floats on a convex ball seat, and at the same time, the biasing means constitutes a permanent magnet constituting a valve body mechanism. The permanent magnet attracted to the ball through the ball seat is pulled away from the ball to move the valve body mechanism section toward the valve seat, and the valve body disposed below the valve body mechanism section is overcome. Is pressed against the valve seat.

As a result, the gas passage can be closed and the supply of fuel gas can be reliably stopped. Further, since the valve body is pressed against the valve seat by the biasing means, even if the vibration continues or the gas appliance rolls, the gas passage is surely kept closed and the fuel gas flows out. Can be prevented.

When the permanent magnet of the valve body mechanism is separated from the ball at the time of an earthquake, the ball rolls on the substantially convex ball seat and moves to the periphery, so that the position of the ball in the ball case can be visually checked. By doing so, it becomes possible to easily recognize the operating state, and it is possible to surely prevent the operating state of the safety valve from being erroneously recognized as a device failure.

Further, the valve body mechanism section is constructed by combining a rod made of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet attached to the upper portion of the rod by its magnetic force, a valve body made of an elastic material attached to the lower portion of the rod, and the like. This makes it possible to easily and surely form the valve body mechanism portion, thereby making the present invention more effective.

Further, by providing a reset mechanism for returning to the open state after the safety valve is activated (after the gas passage is in the closed state), it is possible to easily return to the usable state after the safety valve is activated. It is possible to improve convenience.

By forming the ball case with a transparent material, the position of the ball in the ball case can be easily visually confirmed. In addition,
As the transparent material, transparent resin such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin, or glass is usually used. In the safety valve of the present invention, since the ball case is isolated from the gas passage by the ball seat, as a constituent material of the ball case, resin or glass, which is generally inferior in heat resistance and mechanical strength as compared with metal, is used. There is no particular problem even if the transparent material is used. Further, in the safety valve of the present invention, as the constituent material of the ball case, in addition to a transparent material such as resin or glass, it is possible to use a punching plate or a mesh material in which holes are formed so that the inside can be visually observed. .

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The features of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the following examples as embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. This safety valve includes a ball 1 made of a magnetic material such as iron or stainless steel, and a ball seat 3 made of a non-magnetic material having a circular planar shape and a convex upper surface for holding the ball 1 in a freely movable manner. A ball case 9 made of an acrylic resin configured so that the position of the ball 1 movably held on the ball seat 3 can be visually confirmed, and a tubular valve arranged below the ball seat 3. Inside the guide 2, in the direction of its central axis (vertical direction)
The valve body mechanism portion 8 that is reciprocally movable (sliding) is provided in a part of the gas passage 10 that communicates with the gas intake port 10a, and the valve body 7 that constitutes the valve body mechanism portion 8 is separated. The valve seat 6 that opens and closes the gas passage 10 by contact with the ball 1
When is stationary, the permanent magnet 5 is adsorbed to the ball 1 via the ball seat 3 to allow the gas passage 10 to be in an open state, but a force such that the ball 1 floats on the ball seat 3 is generated. When it works, the permanent magnet 5 is separated from the ball 1, and the urging means 12 for pressing the valve body 7 against the valve seat 6 to close the gas passage 10 is configured.

The valve body mechanism portion 8 has a small diameter portion 4a formed on an upper portion of the rod 4 made of a magnetic material such as iron.
A valve body made of an elastic material (rubber in this embodiment) for externally inserting a ring-shaped permanent magnet 5 in which a through hole 5a is formed, connecting the two by a magnetic force thereof, and connecting and disconnecting with a valve seat 6 at a lower portion. It is formed by attaching 7. Further, a resin spring bearing 13 having a cylindrical shape and a large diameter portion whose lower portion covers the upper portion of the valve body 7 is externally inserted to the rod 4, and between the permanent magnet 5 and the valve body 7. Is sandwiched between.

Further, a coil spring is used as the urging means 12, which is externally inserted into the valve body mechanism portion 8 and the ball seat 3
It is fitted between the lower surface side step portion of the ball seat supporting member 3a for supporting the spring seat 13 and the spring receiver 13. The urging means 12 urges the valve element 7 downward via the spring bearing 13, and the gas appliance 11 such as the gas stove to which the safety valve is attached does not vibrate or tilt, and the ball 1 remains stationary. The urging force (biasing means (coil spring) 12
The force of attraction of the permanent magnet 5 is larger than the force of the permanent magnet 5 to allow the permanent magnet 5 to be attracted to the ball 1 and the gas passage 10 to be in an open state, but vibration or inclination occurs. When a force that causes the ball 1 to float on the ball seat 3 is exerted, the attraction force of the permanent magnet 5 is overcome, the permanent magnet 5 is separated from the ball 1, and the valve body 7 is pressed against the valve seat 6. It is configured.

In this embodiment, the ball 1 and the permanent magnet 5 are attracted to each other via the rod 4 made of a magnetic material (that is, the upper end of the rod 4 contacts the lower surface of the ball seat 3). However, it goes without saying that the ball seat 3 and the permanent magnet 5 may be directly brought into contact with each other.

Further, in the safety valve of this embodiment, the permanent magnet 5 is pulled away from the ball 1 (that is, the permanent magnet 5).
When the suction state of the ball 1 is released), the valve body 7 is pressed against the valve seat 6 and the gas passage 10 is closed (closed state), the valve body 7 is separated from the valve seat 6 and the permanent magnet 5 A reset mechanism 14 for returning the gas passage 10 to the open state (open state) by adsorbing the gas on the ball 1 is provided. That is, in the safety valve of this embodiment, the reset mechanism 14 is arranged so as to project below the valve body 15 and pushes up the valve body mechanism portion 8 to attract the permanent magnet 5 to the ball. A reset spring 18 for urging the reset rod 19 downward to hold it at a predetermined position, and a seesaw plate 20 supported by the rotary shaft 16 by pressing it downward.
And a reset lever 17 that pushes up the reset rod 19 upward via.

Next, the operation of the safety valve constructed as above will be described. For example, when an earthquake occurs and the gas appliance 11 to which the safety valve is attached vibrates, the ball 1 floats on the ball seat 3 at the same time as shown in FIG.
The urging means (coil spring) 12 overcomes the attraction force of the permanent magnet 5 that constitutes the valve body mechanism portion 8, separates the permanent magnet 5 from the ball 1, and moves the valve body mechanism portion 8 toward the valve seat 6. The valve body 7 attached to the lower portion of the valve body mechanism portion 8 is pressed against the valve seat 6 to shut off the gas passage 10.

When the permanent magnet 5 and the ball 1 are released from the attracted state and the permanent magnet 5 of the valve body mechanism portion 8 is separated from the ball 1 as described above, the ball 1 has a substantially convex ball seat. 3 to move to the peripheral portion, so by visually observing the position of the ball 1 in the ball case 9,
It is possible to easily and surely recognize that the safety valve is activated and the gas passage 10 is blocked. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the activated state of the safety valve from being erroneously recognized as a device failure.

Further, in the closed state where the safety valve is operated, the valve body 7 is moved by the biasing means (coil spring) 12 to the valve seat 6
Since it is pressed against, the gas passage 10 can be surely kept in the closed state and the outflow of the fuel gas can be prevented even when the vibration continues or the gas appliance 11 rolls.

Next, the operation of resetting the safety valve will be described. When the permanent magnet 5 is pulled away from the ball 1, the valve body 7 is pressed by the valve seat 6 and the gas passage 10 is closed (closed state), the reset lever 17 is pressed downward as shown in FIG. Then, the seesaw plate 20 rotates and the reset rod 19 rises, and the stepped portion 19a thereof abuts the lower portion of the rod 4 constituting the valve body mechanism portion 8 to push the valve body mechanism portion 8 upward. As a result, the valve body 7 is separated from the valve seat 6 and the gas passage 10 is opened, the permanent magnet 5 of the valve body mechanism portion 8 is attracted to the ball 1, and the upper end portion of the rod 4 is the lower surface of the ball seat 3. Is held in contact with. At this time, the valve body 7 separates from the valve seat 6 and the gas passage 10 is opened. Then, the reset rod 19 is pushed back downward by the restoring force (elastic force) of the reset spring 18, and the safety valve returns to the usable state as shown in FIG.

In the safety valve of the above embodiment, the shape of the permanent magnet 5 constituting the valve body mechanism portion 8 is ring-shaped so that it can be extrapolated to the small diameter portion 4a (FIG. 1) at the upper portion of the rod 4. Since it is shaped like, it is possible to increase the volume and give a large magnetic force. Therefore,
In the assembly process, it becomes easy to integrally form the rod 4, the permanent magnet 5, the valve body 7, the spring receiver 13 and the like, and the attraction force to the ball 1 is increased to use another coupling mechanism or the like. Instead, the biasing means 12 can be assembled by being compressed and sandwiched between the spring bearing 13 and the lower surface side step portion of the ball seat 3, and the productivity can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, the constituent material of the ball, the specific shape of the ball seat, the valve disc mechanism part and the rods, permanent magnets, and valve discs constituting the valve disc. Various applications within the scope of the invention regarding specific shapes and materials, valve seat structure and arrangement position, biasing means configuration and mounting structure, reset mechanism and status display means, etc. , Can be modified.

[0033]

As described above, the safety valve of the present invention includes a ball made of a magnetic material, a ball seat arranged to isolate the ball from the gas passage, and a ball configured so that the position of the ball can be visually checked. It is provided with a case, a valve body mechanism section that is a combination of a permanent magnet and a valve body, and urging means.
In addition, when a force that causes the ball to float on the ball seat due to vibration or tilt due to an earthquake, the permanent magnets are separated from the ball by the biasing means, and the valve body is pressed against the valve seat to push the gas passage. Is configured to be closed, it is possible to reliably stop the supply of fuel gas when an earthquake occurs without requiring a complicated control circuit or the like. Since the safety valve of the present invention does not require a control circuit as described above, it is particularly suitable for use in a gas appliance such as a gas stove that does not normally have a control circuit.

Further, in the closed state, the valve body is pressed against the valve seat by the urging means, so that the gas passage is kept closed even when the vibration continues or the gas appliance rolls. Therefore, the outflow of fuel gas can be reliably prevented.

When the permanent magnet of the valve body mechanism is separated from the ball in the event of an earthquake, the ball rolls on the substantially convex ball seat and moves to the periphery, so that the position of the ball in the ball case can be visually checked. By doing so, it becomes possible to easily recognize the operating state, and it is possible to reliably prevent the operating state of the safety valve from being erroneously recognized as a device failure.

Further, the valve body mechanism section is constructed by combining a rod made of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet attached to the upper portion of the rod by its magnetic force, a valve body made of an elastic material attached to the lower portion of the rod, and the like. As a result, the valve body mechanism portion can be formed easily and reliably, and the present invention can be made more effective.

Further, by providing a reset mechanism for returning to the open state after the safety valve has been operated (after being in the closed state), it is possible to easily return to the usable state after the safety valve is operated. Therefore, convenience can be improved.

Further, by forming the ball case using a transparent material, it becomes possible to easily visually confirm the position of the ball in the ball case, and the present invention can be further effectively realized. Become.

In the safety valve of the present invention, since the ball and the ball case are separated from the gas passage by the ball seat, they are usually used as a constituent material of the ball case.
It is possible to use a transparent material such as resin or glass which is inferior in heat resistance and mechanical strength to metal. Further, in the safety valve of the present invention, as the constituent material of the ball case, in addition to a transparent material such as resin or glass, it is possible to use a punching plate or a mesh material in which holes are formed so that the inside can be visually observed. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a safety valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the safety valve according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation when resetting the safety valve according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ball 2 valve guide 3 ball seat 3a ball seat support member 4 rod 4a small diameter part of rod 5 permanent magnet 5a through hole of permanent magnet 6 valve seat 7 valve body 8 valve body mechanism section 9 ball case 10 gas passage 10a gas intake port 11 Gas Appliance 12 Biasing Means 13 Spring Receiver 14 Reset Mechanism 15 Valve Body 16 Rotating Shaft 17 Reset Lever 18 Reset Spring 19 Reset Rod 19a Reset Rod Step 20 Seesaw Plate

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A ball made of a magnetic material, and a ball seat having a ball holding surface formed in a substantially convex shape for separating the ball from a gas passage through which fuel gas passes and holding the ball so as to be free to move. A ball case made of a material capable of visually confirming the position of the ball movably held on the ball seat, and an upper part disposed below the ball seat so as to reciprocate in a substantially vertical direction. A valve body mechanism section having a permanent magnet that is indirectly attracted to the ball through at least the ball seat, and a valve body that is provided at a lower portion of the valve seat to separate from and contact the valve seat, and provided in a part of the fuel gas passage. When the ball is stationary and there is no vibration or tilt, the attraction force of the permanent magnet is greater than the biasing force of the valve seat. Is large, Although the permanent magnet is attracted to the ball to allow the valve body mechanism to be located above and the gas passage to be in the open state, vibration or tilting etc. may cause the ball to move on the ball seat. When such a force acts, it overcomes the attraction force of the permanent magnet, separates the permanent magnet from the ball, moves the valve body mechanism section downward, and presses the valve body against the valve seat to gas. A safety valve, comprising: a biasing means for shutting off the passage. 2. The valve body mechanism section includes a rod made of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet attached to the upper portion of the rod by its magnetic force, and a valve body made of an elastic material attached to the lower portion of the rod. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the safety valve is provided. 3. The permanent magnet is separated from the ball, and the valve body is separated from the valve seat and the permanent magnet is attracted to the ball from a closed state in which the valve body is pressed against the valve seat. The safety valve according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a reset mechanism for returning to the open state by the. 4. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the ball case is made of a transparent material.