US20030131895A1 - Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system - Google Patents
Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030131895A1 US20030131895A1 US10/043,185 US4318502A US2003131895A1 US 20030131895 A1 US20030131895 A1 US 20030131895A1 US 4318502 A US4318502 A US 4318502A US 2003131895 A1 US2003131895 A1 US 2003131895A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- passage
- inside diameter
- valve disc
- changeover valve
- discharge passages
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 235000007164 Oryza sativa Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 83
- 235000009566 rice Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 83
- 239000008187 granular material Substances 0.000 abstract description 21
- 235000013339 cereals Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 15
- 240000007594 Oryza sativa Species 0.000 abstract 1
- 241000209094 Oryza Species 0.000 description 82
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000004308 accommodation Effects 0.000 description 4
- -1 acryl Chemical group 0.000 description 4
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 241000238631 Hexapoda Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005336 cracking Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010297 mechanical methods and process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005226 mechanical processes and functions Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007517 polishing process Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
- F16K11/00—Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves
- F16K11/02—Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves with all movable sealing faces moving as one unit
- F16K11/08—Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves with all movable sealing faces moving as one unit comprising only taps or cocks
- F16K11/085—Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves with all movable sealing faces moving as one unit comprising only taps or cocks with cylindrical plug
- F16K11/0853—Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves with all movable sealing faces moving as one unit comprising only taps or cocks with cylindrical plug having all the connecting conduits situated in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G53/00—Conveying materials in bulk through troughs, pipes or tubes by floating the materials or by flow of gas, liquid or foam
- B65G53/34—Details
- B65G53/52—Adaptations of pipes or tubes
- B65G53/56—Switches
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/8593—Systems
- Y10T137/86493—Multi-way valve unit
- Y10T137/86863—Rotary valve unit
- Y10T137/86871—Plug
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/8593—Systems
- Y10T137/877—With flow control means for branched passages
- Y10T137/87788—With valve or movable deflector at junction
- Y10T137/87804—Valve or deflector is tubular passageway
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a changeover valve and a gas transportation pipe system for grain to which the changeover valve is applied.
- the changeover valve is particularly appropriate to be used for a pipe system for transporting grain such as rice and other granular material by introducing compressed air into pipes.
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a part on an end side of a gas transportation pipe system in a conventional transportation apparatus 1 for rice.
- a plurality of storage tanks 3 are installed below a pneumatic transportation pipe 2 and each of changeover valves 5 enables rice 4 which is transported through the pneumatic transportation pipe 2 to be accommodated in a specific one of the storage tanks 3 .
- Each of the changeover valves 5 is composed of a casing 6 and a valve disc 7 which is rotatably accommodated in the casing 6 , and a lead-out angle to the storage tank 3 relative to the pneumatic transportation pipe 2 is set at a small value as shown in FIG. 11. This prevents the rice 4 transferred at a high speed from being crushed even when the rice 4 collides with inner walls of the changeover valves 5 since a collision angle is small.
- FIGS. 12 to 14 are sectional views of the conventional changeover valve 5 , FIG. 12 being a sectional view of the changeover valve 5 , FIG. 13 being an enlarged view of the part D in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 being an enlarged view of the part E in FIG. 12.
- the conventional changeover valve 5 is composed of the casing 6 and the valve disc 7 , and the rotation of the valve disc 7 causes an introducing passage 8 and a discharge passage 9 a or 9 b which are formed in the casing 6 to be connected to a through passage 10 which is formed in the valve disc 7 to pass the rice 4 therethrough.
- the casing 6 and the valve disc 7 are separate bodies so that differences in inside diameters between the introducing passage 8 and the through passage 10 and between the discharge passage 9 a or 9 b and the through passage 10 may be sometimes caused through mechanical processes and the rice 4 may possibly be crushed when it collides with stepped parts, which are designated by the sizes t 1 and t 2 , as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13.
- a changeover valve is a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of the introducing passage in an output side part has a shape gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side.
- the shape of the inside diameter of the introducing passage in the output side part thereof, which is gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side is a slope.
- the shape of the inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side is in an arc shape.
- Another changeover valve for a gas transportation pipe system for grain is a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and a diameterreducing slope is formed in an output side part of the introducing passage with an inclination angle thereof equal to 30 degrees or less while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of each of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side, is in an arc shape.
- a gas transportation pipe system for grain comprises a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- the changeover valve is structured in a manner in which an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of the introducing passage in an output side part has a shape gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side and an angle made by center axes of the pair of the discharge passages is set at a value equal to 30 degrees or less, and wherein the through passage and an upper one of the discharge passages are coaxially connected to a main transportation pipe of the gas transportation pipe system for grain and a lower one of the discharge passages is connected to a branching pipe of the gas transportation pipe system for grain.
- the shape of the inside diameter of the introducing passage in the output side part thereof, which is gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side is a slope. It is also appropriate that an angle of the slope is 30 degrees or less. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side, is in an arc shape.
- FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a changeover valve according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the changeover valve according to the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the changeover valve according to the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the part B in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the part C in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 6 is a graph showing a crushing rate of rice relative to a collision angle
- FIG. 7 is an explanatory block diagram of a transportation apparatus for grain
- FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the apparatus of the experiment of FIG. 7.
- FIG. 9 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for rice by the changeover valves according to the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for rice by the changeover valves according to the present invention
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view of an end part of a conventional transportation pipe System
- FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional changeover valve
- FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the part D of the conventional changeover valve in FIG. 12.
- FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the part E of the conventional changeover valve in FIG. 12.
- FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are sectional views of the changeover valve 28 according to the present invention.
- the changeover valve 28 includes an introducing passage 32 , a first discharge passage 34 , and a second discharge passage 35 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 so that the changeover operation of the changeover valve 28 causes the gas stream which is introduced from the introducing passage 32 to be discharged from the first discharge passage 34 or the second discharge passage 35 .
- the above-described changeover valve 28 is composed of a casing 38 which constitutes the changeover valve body and a valve disc 40 in a cylindrical shape which is rotatably accommodated in the casing 38 .
- the casing 38 which constitutes the changeover valve body, has a valve disc accommodating part 42 formed in a center part thereof to rotatably hold the cylindrical shaped valve disc 40 therein.
- a through passage 44 for connecting the introducing passage 32 to the first discharge passage 34 or the second discharge passage 35 is formed to extend from a side part of the casing 38 and to pass through the valve disc 40 . And the through passage 44 is located in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the valve disk 40 .
- a rotary shaft is provided in a center axis of the valve disc 40 , and the valve disk 40 is structured to be rotatable when the rotary shaft is rotated by a driving apparatus such as an air cylinder (not shown).
- the through passage 44 is connected linearly to the first discharge passage 34 to constitute a first passage 44 a as shown in FIG. 1 or connected to the second discharge passage 35 in a manner the second discharge passage 35 in a branching-off manner to constitute a second passage 44 b as shown in FIG. 2.
- a diameter-reducing slope 32 a is formed on a circumferential surface of an inner wall of the introducing passage 32 toward the through passage 44 and an inside diameter of the introducing passage 32 at an output end thereof is set to be smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage 44 (refer to the size t 3 in FIG. 4). Consequently, a stepped part with which granular material may possibly collide is not formed in a moving direction of the granular material between the casing 38 and the valve disc 40 as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, which are fragmentary enlarged views of the changeover valve 28 . Therefore, collision of the granular material with the stepped part, which is formed in a conventional changeover valve, does not occur.
- an inclination angle of the diameter-reducing slope 32 a is set at such an angle which does not cause the granular material to crush even when the granular material collides with the diameterreducing slope 32 a .
- the inclination angle of the diameter-reducing slope 32 a is set at a value equal to 30 degrees or less in view of the later described result in FIG. 6. Setting the inclination angle of the diameter-reducing slope 32 a in this way makes it possible to decrease a crushing rate of the granular material even when the granular material contacts the diameter-reducing slope 32 a.
- An arc-shaped corner part 33 is provided in each of input side parts of the first discharge passage 34 and the second discharge passage 35 to make each of the inside diameters of the discharge passages 34 , 35 at input ends larger than the diameter of the through passage 44 so that no stepped part with which the granular material may possibly collide is formed (refer to the size t 4 in FIG. 5). This makes it possible to prevent the granular material from being crushed, similarly to the case when the granular material is transported from the introducing passage 32 to the through passage 44 . Since no stepped part exists in the through passage 44 , the granular material is capable of passing through the changeover valve 28 without any difficulty when it is introduced from the introducing passage 32 together with the gas stream.
- the second discharge passage 35 is structured with a center axis 47 thereof being in a position to which the center axis 46 of the passage 44 a is rotated by 30 degrees around a point A which is a point where the center axis 46 intersects with an outer circumference of the valve disc 40 .
- counterclockwise rotation of the valve disc 40 by 150 degrees causes the introducing passage 32 to be connected to the second discharge passage 35 to form the second passage 44 b so that the granular material is discharged from the second discharge passage 35 via the second passage 44 b when the granular material is introduced from the introducing passage 32 together with the gas stream.
- the structure described above also makes it possible to prevent the granular material from being crushed in the second passage 44 b.
- FIG. 6 shows the result obtained by the inventors of the present invention from the studies in which a collision angle ⁇ at which the rice collides with a wall is varied to study a crushing rate of the rice.
- the experiment shown in FIG. 7 is conducted in the apparatus shown in FIG.
- FIG. 7 is an explanatory block diagram of a transportation apparatus for rice to which changeover valves 28 according to the present invention are applied.
- the transportation apparatus 11 for rice to which the changeover valves 28 according to the present invention are applied has a structure in which several stages of transportation pipes for performing pneumatic transportation are serially connected.
- the transportation apparatus 11 shown in the drawing is structured to have two stages of the transportation pipes.
- a first transportation pipe 12 which constitutes the transportation apparatus 11 and is disposed on a preceding stage side has a blower 14 for sending air provided in a starting end part thereof and the blower 14 is operated to generate an air stream flowing toward an end side of the first transportation pipe 12 inside the first transportation pipe 12 .
- a plurality of first storage tanks 15 which are disposed along the first transportation pipe for rice immediately after the blower 14 , for storing the rice therein are connected to the first transportation pipe 12 and the rice is supplied to the first transportation pipe 12 from the first storage tanks 15 so that the rice is transported toward the end side of the first transportation pipe 12 .
- a rice polishing apparatus 16 is also provided to store the rice, which is transported by the first transportation pipe 12 , in an accommodation tank 18 and to polish the rice which is stored in the accommodation tank 18 .
- a polished rice supply port 22 for supplying the polished rice to a starting end side of a second transportation pipe 20 is provided in a bottom part of the rice polishing apparatus 16 .
- Curvature of a passage of the first transportation pipe 12 up to the rice polishing apparatus 16 needs to be set at least at a value equal to 500 mmR or more (preferably, about 1000 mmR) to prevent the rice from colliding with an inner wall of the pipe at a steep angle.
- the second transportation pipe 20 to which the polished rice supply port 22 is connected and which is disposed on a subsequent stage to the first transportation pipe 12 , has a blower 24 for sending the air provided in a starting end part thereof, and the blower 24 is operated, similarly to the blower 14 , to generate in the second transportation pipe 20 an air stream moving toward an end side of the second transportation pipe 20 .
- a plurality of second storage tanks 26 for storing the polished rice therein are disposed along the second transportation pipe 20 and appropriate changeover operations of the changeover valves 28 which are disposed at branching points to the second storage tanks 26 enable the polished rice to be stored in an optional one of the second storage tanks 26 .
- Supply ports of the polished rice are formed in lower parts of the second storage tanks 26 to supply the rice to a transportation pipe on the next stage subsequent to the subsequent stage to the second transportation pipe 20 .
- blower 14 and the blower 24 are first operated to generate the air streams inside the first transportation pipe 12 and second transportation pipe 20 so that the rice 41 inside the pipes is transported by the air streams.
- the rice 41 is supplied to the first transportation pipe 12 from an optional one of the first storage tanks 15 after the air streams are thus generated in the pipe 12 and 20 .
- the rice 41 which is supplied to the first transportation pipe 12 is then temporarily stored in the accommodation tank 18 of the rice polishing apparatus 16 and supplied into the second transportation pipe 20 from the polished rice supply port 22 of the accommodation tank 18 after undergoing a rice polishing process.
- the rice 41 which is supplied into the second transportation pipe 20 reaches the changeover valve 28 . Note that a procedure for storing the rice 41 in a second storage tank 26 c after the rice 41 is stored in a second storage tank 26 b is explained in this embodiment.
- FIG. 8 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for the rice 41 by the operations of the changeover valves 28 .
- a changeover valve 28 b is attached to the second storage tank 26 b and a changeover valve 28 c is attached to the second storage tank 26 c as shown in FIG. 8.
- a changeover valve 28 a which is attached to a first storage tank 26 a is first set to form the first passage 44 a and the changeover valve 28 b is set to form the second passage 44 b in order to supply the rice 41 to the second storage tank 26 b .
- Setting the individual changeover valves in this way causes the rice 41 which is transported from an upstream side along the second transportation pipe 20 to be moved to a downstream side along the first passage 44 a when the rice 41 reaches the changeover valve 28 a so that the rice 41 is prevented from moving toward the first storage tank 26 a side. Since no stepped part is formed here, the rice 41 is prevented from being crushed when it passes the changeover valve 28 a.
- FIG. 9 shows states of each of the changeover valves when the rice 41 is to be stored in the second storage tank 26 c .
- the valve disc 40 in the changeover valve 28 b is rotated so that a passage to be used in the changeover valve 28 b is changed over from the second passage 44 b to the first passage 44 a while a passage used in the changeover valve 28 c is changed over from the first passage 44 a to the second passage 44 b .
- the changeover operation in the changeover valve 28 c may be made in advance and the changeover operation in the changeover valve 28 b may be made thereafter.
- the crushing, cracking, breaking and chipping of the rice at the time it passes the changeover valves can be decreased to a great extent when the rice is transported by air through the pipe system.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Air Transport Of Granular Materials (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a changeover valve and a gas transportation pipe system for grain to which the changeover valve is applied. The changeover valve is particularly appropriate to be used for a pipe system for transporting grain such as rice and other granular material by introducing compressed air into pipes.
- 2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
- Conventionally, in rice polishing factories and boiled rice factories, transportation apparatuses such as bucket conveyers, lifts, horizontal belt conveyers and the like are usually used for transporting delivered rice, which is granular material, among equipment.
- However, buckets, belts, driving motors and so on are required when the above-mentioned transportation apparatuses are used, which results in upsizing of the transportation apparatuses and brings about great difficulty in assembly and installation thereof. Furthermore, since rice bran remains in gap parts of the conveyors in the transportation apparatuses, microbes such as mold may grow to gather insects and so on eating the mold. This brings about a problem that values of rice and boiled rice as products may possibly be lost. Since the transportation apparatuses need to be frequently disassembled for cleaning in order to eliminate the problem, a problem is further caused that maintenance cost is increased.
- As methods to solve these problems, methods of transporting rice with the use of air are known as are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 7-330151, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 2-56255, and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 5220582. In these methods, rice is transported by air streams which are generated in pipes by blowers and compressors. The use of such pneumatic transportation methods makes it possible to avoid the problem that the rice bran remains halfway in the pipes since the rice and the air are transported in the pipes which are shielded from the outside. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a part on an end side of a gas transportation pipe system in a
conventional transportation apparatus 1 for rice. - As is shown in FIG. 11, in the end side part of the
transportation apparatus 1 which utilizes an air stream, a plurality ofstorage tanks 3 are installed below apneumatic transportation pipe 2 and each ofchangeover valves 5 enablesrice 4 which is transported through thepneumatic transportation pipe 2 to be accommodated in a specific one of thestorage tanks 3. - Each of the
changeover valves 5 is composed of acasing 6 and avalve disc 7 which is rotatably accommodated in thecasing 6, and a lead-out angle to thestorage tank 3 relative to thepneumatic transportation pipe 2 is set at a small value as shown in FIG. 11. This prevents therice 4 transferred at a high speed from being crushed even when therice 4 collides with inner walls of thechangeover valves 5 since a collision angle is small. - However, the above
conventional changeover valve 5 has a problem as described below. - FIGS.12 to 14 are sectional views of the
conventional changeover valve 5, FIG. 12 being a sectional view of thechangeover valve 5, FIG. 13 being an enlarged view of the part D in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 being an enlarged view of the part E in FIG. 12. - As is shown in these drawings, the
conventional changeover valve 5 is composed of thecasing 6 and thevalve disc 7, and the rotation of thevalve disc 7 causes an introducingpassage 8 and adischarge passage casing 6 to be connected to a throughpassage 10 which is formed in thevalve disc 7 to pass therice 4 therethrough. However, thecasing 6 and thevalve disc 7 are separate bodies so that differences in inside diameters between the introducingpassage 8 and the throughpassage 10 and between thedischarge passage through passage 10 may be sometimes caused through mechanical processes and therice 4 may possibly be crushed when it collides with stepped parts, which are designated by the sizes t1 and t2, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. - It is an object of the present invention to eliminate these problems and to provide a changeover valve which is capable of preventing granular material from being crushed when the granular material is transported by gas through a pipe system, and more particularly, a changeover valve which is capable of preventing grain such as rice from being crushed, cracked, broken, and chipped when grain such as rice is transported by gas through the pipe system. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gas transportation pipe system for grain such as rice to which the changeover valve is applied.
- A changeover valve according to the present invention is a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- wherein an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of the introducing passage in an output side part has a shape gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of the introducing passage in the output side part thereof, which is gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side, is a slope. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side, is in an arc shape.
- Another changeover valve for a gas transportation pipe system for grain according to the present invention is a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- wherein an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and a diameterreducing slope is formed in an output side part of the introducing passage with an inclination angle thereof equal to 30 degrees or less while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of each of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side, is in an arc shape.
- A gas transportation pipe system for grain according to the present invention comprises a changeover valve comprising: a valve disc in a cylinder shape including on a side part thereof a through passage which is connected to transportation passages on an upstream side and a downstream side and which is in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the cylinder; a casing for rotatably accommodating the valve disc therein; and a pair of discharge passages which are provided in the casing and connected to the through passage of the valve disc,
- wherein the changeover valve is structured in a manner in which an inside diameter of an introducing passage of the changeover valve at an output end thereof is smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of the introducing passage in an output side part has a shape gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side while an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages at an input end thereof is larger than the inside diameter of the through passage of the valve disc and an inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in an input side part has a shape gradually increasing in size toward the upstream side and an angle made by center axes of the pair of the discharge passages is set at a value equal to 30 degrees or less, and wherein the through passage and an upper one of the discharge passages are coaxially connected to a main transportation pipe of the gas transportation pipe system for grain and a lower one of the discharge passages is connected to a branching pipe of the gas transportation pipe system for grain. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of the introducing passage in the output side part thereof, which is gradually decreasing in size toward the downstream side, is a slope. It is also appropriate that an angle of the slope is 30 degrees or less. It is also appropriate that the shape of the inside diameter of each of the pair of the discharge passages in the input side part thereof, which is increasing in size toward the upstream side, is in an arc shape.
- FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a changeover valve according to the present invention;
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the changeover valve according to the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the changeover valve according to the present invention;
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the part B in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the part C in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 6 is a graph showing a crushing rate of rice relative to a collision angle;
- FIG. 7 is an explanatory block diagram of a transportation apparatus for grain;
- FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the apparatus of the experiment of FIG. 7.
- FIG. 9 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for rice by the changeover valves according to the present invention;
- FIG. 10 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for rice by the changeover valves according to the present invention;
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view of an end part of a conventional transportation pipe System;
- FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional changeover valve;
- FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the part D of the conventional changeover valve in FIG. 12; and
- FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the part E of the conventional changeover valve in FIG. 12.
- A preferred embodiment of a
changeover valve 28 according to the present invention is explained in detail below. - FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are sectional views of the
changeover valve 28 according to the present invention. Thechangeover valve 28 includes an introducingpassage 32, afirst discharge passage 34, and asecond discharge passage 35 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 so that the changeover operation of thechangeover valve 28 causes the gas stream which is introduced from the introducingpassage 32 to be discharged from thefirst discharge passage 34 or thesecond discharge passage 35. - The above-described
changeover valve 28 is composed of acasing 38 which constitutes the changeover valve body and avalve disc 40 in a cylindrical shape which is rotatably accommodated in thecasing 38. Thecasing 38, which constitutes the changeover valve body, has a valvedisc accommodating part 42 formed in a center part thereof to rotatably hold the cylindricalshaped valve disc 40 therein. - A through
passage 44 for connecting the introducingpassage 32 to thefirst discharge passage 34 or thesecond discharge passage 35 is formed to extend from a side part of thecasing 38 and to pass through thevalve disc 40. And thethrough passage 44 is located in an eccentric position deviated from a center of the valve disk40. A rotary shaft is provided in a center axis of thevalve disc 40, and the valve disk40 is structured to be rotatable when the rotary shaft is rotated by a driving apparatus such as an air cylinder (not shown). By the rotation of thevalve disc 40, the throughpassage 44 is connected linearly to thefirst discharge passage 34 to constitute afirst passage 44 a as shown in FIG. 1 or connected to thesecond discharge passage 35 in a manner thesecond discharge passage 35 in a branching-off manner to constitute asecond passage 44 b as shown in FIG. 2. - A diameter-reducing
slope 32 a is formed on a circumferential surface of an inner wall of the introducingpassage 32 toward the throughpassage 44 and an inside diameter of the introducingpassage 32 at an output end thereof is set to be smaller than an inside diameter of the through passage 44 (refer to the size t3 in FIG. 4). Consequently, a stepped part with which granular material may possibly collide is not formed in a moving direction of the granular material between thecasing 38 and thevalve disc 40 as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, which are fragmentary enlarged views of thechangeover valve 28. Therefore, collision of the granular material with the stepped part, which is formed in a conventional changeover valve, does not occur. It is appropriate that an inclination angle of the diameter-reducingslope 32 a is set at such an angle which does not cause the granular material to crush even when the granular material collides with thediameterreducing slope 32 a. For example, when polished rice is transported by air, it is appropriate to set the inclination angle of the diameter-reducingslope 32 a at a value equal to 30 degrees or less in view of the later described result in FIG. 6. Setting the inclination angle of the diameter-reducingslope 32 a in this way makes it possible to decrease a crushing rate of the granular material even when the granular material contacts the diameter-reducingslope 32 a. - An arc-shaped
corner part 33 is provided in each of input side parts of thefirst discharge passage 34 and thesecond discharge passage 35 to make each of the inside diameters of thedischarge passages passage 44 so that no stepped part with which the granular material may possibly collide is formed (refer to the size t4 in FIG. 5). This makes it possible to prevent the granular material from being crushed, similarly to the case when the granular material is transported from the introducingpassage 32 to the throughpassage 44. Since no stepped part exists in the throughpassage 44, the granular material is capable of passing through thechangeover valve 28 without any difficulty when it is introduced from the introducingpassage 32 together with the gas stream. - The
second discharge passage 35 is structured with acenter axis 47 thereof being in a position to which thecenter axis 46 of thepassage 44 a is rotated by 30 degrees around a point A which is a point where thecenter axis 46 intersects with an outer circumference of thevalve disc 40. In this formation of thesecond discharge passage 35, counterclockwise rotation of thevalve disc 40 by 150 degrees causes the introducingpassage 32 to be connected to thesecond discharge passage 35 to form thesecond passage 44 b so that the granular material is discharged from thesecond discharge passage 35 via thesecond passage 44 b when the granular material is introduced from the introducingpassage 32 together with the gas stream. The structure described above also makes it possible to prevent the granular material from being crushed in thesecond passage 44 b. - The inventors of the present invention have obtained the following findings after repeated experiments on pneumatic transportation for rice. FIG. 6 shows the result obtained by the inventors of the present invention from the studies in which a collision angle θ at which the rice collides with a wall is varied to study a crushing rate of the rice. As is apparent from FIG. 6, the smaller the collision angle θ is, the lower the crushing rate is, and when the collision angle is 30 degrees or less, the possibility that breaking and chipping occur is low. Therefore, it has been found that some method needs to be utilized in places where the rice may possibly collide with the pipe wall inside the transportation pipe so that the rice collides with the pipe wall at an angle of 30 degrees or less. The experiment shown in FIG. 7 is conducted in the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 where an
air pump 49 is provided at one end of anacryl pipe 48 having a length of 1000 mm and astainless plate 50 whose rotational center is on an axis center of theacryl pipe 48 and which is capable of adjusting adjust the collision angle θ is disposed at a distance of 25 mm from an exit of the other end of the acryl pipe48. In the experiment shown in FIG. 6, eachpolished rice 51 is transported through theacryl pipe 48 by air generated by the air pump at 20 m/sec and therice 51 is collided with the stainless plate50. - The findings show that when polished rice is transported by air, an angle made by the
first passage 44 a and thesecond passage 44 b is appropriately set at 30 degrees or less. - A preferred embodiment of a transportation apparatus for grain according to the present invention is explained in detail below.
- FIG. 7 is an explanatory block diagram of a transportation apparatus for rice to which
changeover valves 28 according to the present invention are applied. As shown in FIG. 7, the transportation apparatus 11 for rice to which thechangeover valves 28 according to the present invention are applied has a structure in which several stages of transportation pipes for performing pneumatic transportation are serially connected. The transportation apparatus 11 shown in the drawing is structured to have two stages of the transportation pipes. Afirst transportation pipe 12 which constitutes the transportation apparatus 11 and is disposed on a preceding stage side has ablower 14 for sending air provided in a starting end part thereof and theblower 14 is operated to generate an air stream flowing toward an end side of thefirst transportation pipe 12 inside thefirst transportation pipe 12. - A plurality of
first storage tanks 15, which are disposed along the first transportation pipe for rice immediately after theblower 14, for storing the rice therein are connected to thefirst transportation pipe 12 and the rice is supplied to thefirst transportation pipe 12 from thefirst storage tanks 15 so that the rice is transported toward the end side of thefirst transportation pipe 12. In an end part of thefirst transportation pipe 12, arice polishing apparatus 16 is also provided to store the rice, which is transported by thefirst transportation pipe 12, in anaccommodation tank 18 and to polish the rice which is stored in theaccommodation tank 18. Incidentally, a polishedrice supply port 22 for supplying the polished rice to a starting end side of asecond transportation pipe 20 is provided in a bottom part of therice polishing apparatus 16. Curvature of a passage of thefirst transportation pipe 12 up to therice polishing apparatus 16 needs to be set at least at a value equal to 500 mmR or more (preferably, about 1000 mmR) to prevent the rice from colliding with an inner wall of the pipe at a steep angle. - The
second transportation pipe 20, to which the polishedrice supply port 22 is connected and which is disposed on a subsequent stage to thefirst transportation pipe 12, has ablower 24 for sending the air provided in a starting end part thereof, and theblower 24 is operated, similarly to theblower 14, to generate in thesecond transportation pipe 20 an air stream moving toward an end side of thesecond transportation pipe 20. In an end part of thesecond transportation pipe 20, a plurality of second storage tanks 26 for storing the polished rice therein are disposed along thesecond transportation pipe 20 and appropriate changeover operations of thechangeover valves 28 which are disposed at branching points to the second storage tanks 26 enable the polished rice to be stored in an optional one of the second storage tanks 26. - Supply ports of the polished rice are formed in lower parts of the second storage tanks26 to supply the rice to a transportation pipe on the next stage subsequent to the subsequent stage to the
second transportation pipe 20. - A procedure for accommodating
rice 41 in the second storage tanks 26 in the transportation apparatus 11 for rice using thechangeover valves 28 as structured above is explained. - In FIG. 7, the
blower 14 and theblower 24 are first operated to generate the air streams inside thefirst transportation pipe 12 andsecond transportation pipe 20 so that therice 41 inside the pipes is transported by the air streams. - The
rice 41 is supplied to thefirst transportation pipe 12 from an optional one of thefirst storage tanks 15 after the air streams are thus generated in thepipe rice 41 which is supplied to thefirst transportation pipe 12 is then temporarily stored in theaccommodation tank 18 of therice polishing apparatus 16 and supplied into thesecond transportation pipe 20 from the polishedrice supply port 22 of theaccommodation tank 18 after undergoing a rice polishing process. - The
rice 41 which is supplied into thesecond transportation pipe 20 reaches thechangeover valve 28. Note that a procedure for storing therice 41 in asecond storage tank 26 c after therice 41 is stored in asecond storage tank 26 b is explained in this embodiment. - FIG. 8 is an explanatory sectional view showing a procedure for changing over transportation passages for the
rice 41 by the operations of thechangeover valves 28. Achangeover valve 28 b is attached to thesecond storage tank 26 b and achangeover valve 28 c is attached to thesecond storage tank 26 c as shown in FIG. 8. - A
changeover valve 28 a which is attached to afirst storage tank 26 a is first set to form thefirst passage 44 a and thechangeover valve 28 b is set to form thesecond passage 44 b in order to supply therice 41 to thesecond storage tank 26 b. Setting the individual changeover valves in this way causes therice 41 which is transported from an upstream side along thesecond transportation pipe 20 to be moved to a downstream side along thefirst passage 44 a when therice 41 reaches thechangeover valve 28 a so that therice 41 is prevented from moving toward thefirst storage tank 26 a side. Since no stepped part is formed here, therice 41 is prevented from being crushed when it passes thechangeover valve 28 a. - Thereafter, when the
rice 41 which has passed thechangeover valve 28 a reaches thechangeover valve 28 b, all of therice 41 which passes thesecond transportation pipe 20 is moved toward thesecond storage tank 26 b side since thechangeover valve 28 b is set to form thesecond passage 44 b. Incidentally, when therice 41 is moved to thesecond storage tank 26 b, it moves away from thesecond transportation pipe 20 and thefirst passage 44 a which are linearly connected to each other so that an inclination occurs in thesecond passage 44 b. However, this inclination angle is set at 30 degrees or less to make it possible to suppress the crush of therice 41 to a minimum even when therice 41 collides with the inner wall of thesecond passage 44 b. Therice 41 is also prevented from being crushed in thechangeover valve 28 b when therice 41 passes thechangeover valve 28 b in the same way as when it passes thechangeover valve 28 a. This also applies to thechangeover valve 28 c. - FIG. 9 shows states of each of the changeover valves when the
rice 41 is to be stored in thesecond storage tank 26 c. As shown in FIG. 9, when therice 41 is to be stored in thesecond storage tank 26 c, thevalve disc 40 in thechangeover valve 28 b is rotated so that a passage to be used in thechangeover valve 28 b is changed over from thesecond passage 44 b to thefirst passage 44 a while a passage used in thechangeover valve 28 c is changed over from thefirst passage 44 a to thesecond passage 44 b. Incidentally, the changeover operation in thechangeover valve 28 c may be made in advance and the changeover operation in thechangeover valve 28 b may be made thereafter. - The changeover operations of the
changeover valve 28 b and thechangeover valve 28 c in this way makes it possible to change over tanks to be used for storing therice 41 from thesecond storage tank 26 b to thesecond storage tank 26 c and when these changeover operations are made, therice 41 can also be stored in thesecond storage tank 26 c without being crushed. - According to the present invention, as described above, the crushing, cracking, breaking and chipping of the rice at the time it passes the changeover valves can be decreased to a great extent when the rice is transported by air through the pipe system.
- Transportation of rice by air is explained in the above embodiment but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and is applicable to transportation of other grain and granular material through the pipe system by gas.
Claims (9)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2001107873A JP2002302250A (en) | 2001-04-06 | 2001-04-06 | Selector valve |
US10/043,185 US6601610B1 (en) | 2001-04-06 | 2002-01-14 | Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2001107873A JP2002302250A (en) | 2001-04-06 | 2001-04-06 | Selector valve |
US10/043,185 US6601610B1 (en) | 2001-04-06 | 2002-01-14 | Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20030131895A1 true US20030131895A1 (en) | 2003-07-17 |
US6601610B1 US6601610B1 (en) | 2003-08-05 |
Family
ID=28676724
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/043,185 Expired - Fee Related US6601610B1 (en) | 2001-04-06 | 2002-01-14 | Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6601610B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2002302250A (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10375901B2 (en) | 2014-12-09 | 2019-08-13 | Mtd Products Inc | Blower/vacuum |
US10694660B2 (en) * | 2018-06-20 | 2020-06-30 | Deere & Company | Commodity delivery system for work vehicle with rotary manifold regulator |
US11305951B2 (en) | 2020-03-25 | 2022-04-19 | Deere & Company | Coordinated control of commodity container pressure selection with run selection in a commodity delivery system of a work vehicle |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4948779B2 (en) * | 2004-08-11 | 2012-06-06 | 福岡精米機器株式会社 | Air transfer device |
US7891799B2 (en) * | 2005-09-12 | 2011-02-22 | Electronics For Imaging, Inc. | Metallic ink jet printing system for graphics applications |
DE102005048166B4 (en) * | 2005-10-06 | 2008-01-24 | Zeppelin Silos & Systems Gmbh | Drainpipe with improved transition and finish |
KR101263015B1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2013-05-15 | 주식회사 비티에스이엔지 | A system for distributing powder with coating for preventing wear |
US9904301B2 (en) * | 2015-11-02 | 2018-02-27 | White's Equipment Rental, Llc | In-line pressure relief apparatus |
JP2021165584A (en) * | 2020-04-08 | 2021-10-14 | ヤンマーパワーテクノロジー株式会社 | Channel switching valve and construction machinery comprising the same |
CN116568957A (en) * | 2020-09-23 | 2023-08-08 | 波士顿科学医疗设备有限公司 | Multi-way connector |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1725337A (en) * | 1928-05-03 | 1929-08-20 | White Eagle Oil And Refining C | Valve |
US3489178A (en) * | 1966-03-11 | 1970-01-13 | K B Engineering Co | Diverter valve |
JPS5220582A (en) | 1975-08-10 | 1977-02-16 | Shikoku Seisakusho:Kk | Apparatus for transferring granular material |
DE3102384C2 (en) * | 1981-01-24 | 1986-07-24 | Bühler-Miag GmbH, 3300 Braunschweig | Transfer tube for pneumatic conveying systems for conveying powdery or granular goods |
DE8816409U1 (en) * | 1988-04-19 | 1989-08-10 | Waeschle Maschinenfabrik Gmbh, 7980 Ravensburg, De | |
DE3817349A1 (en) * | 1988-05-20 | 1989-11-23 | Waeschle Maschf Gmbh | PIPE DIVER FOR PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR OF PUMPING GOODS |
JP2700804B2 (en) | 1988-08-17 | 1998-01-21 | 株式会社佐竹製作所 | Rice milling facility |
DE3922240C2 (en) * | 1989-07-06 | 1999-04-29 | Avt Anlagen Verfahrenstech | Rotary valve switch |
US5129459A (en) * | 1991-08-05 | 1992-07-14 | Abb Vetco Gray Inc. | Subsea flowline selector |
JP3488508B2 (en) | 1994-06-10 | 2004-01-19 | 株式会社是沢鉄工所 | Cereal feeding equipment |
US6240941B1 (en) * | 1998-07-23 | 2001-06-05 | Laars, Inc. | Modular, interconnectable valve |
-
2001
- 2001-04-06 JP JP2001107873A patent/JP2002302250A/en active Pending
-
2002
- 2002-01-14 US US10/043,185 patent/US6601610B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10375901B2 (en) | 2014-12-09 | 2019-08-13 | Mtd Products Inc | Blower/vacuum |
US10674681B2 (en) | 2014-12-09 | 2020-06-09 | Mtd Products Inc | Blower/vacuum |
US10694660B2 (en) * | 2018-06-20 | 2020-06-30 | Deere & Company | Commodity delivery system for work vehicle with rotary manifold regulator |
US11305951B2 (en) | 2020-03-25 | 2022-04-19 | Deere & Company | Coordinated control of commodity container pressure selection with run selection in a commodity delivery system of a work vehicle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6601610B1 (en) | 2003-08-05 |
JP2002302250A (en) | 2002-10-18 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6601610B1 (en) | Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system | |
US20020187012A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for the pneumatic conveying of fine bulk material | |
US5240355A (en) | Dense phase transporter pneumatic conveying system | |
CN101511540B (en) | Steel pipe internal-surface blasting apparatus, method of blasting steel pipe internal-surface and process for manufacturing steel pipe excelling in internal-surface surface property | |
CN1309641C (en) | Pneumatic conveyor device and method | |
EP1052065B1 (en) | "Centrifugal blasting apparatus" | |
KR0181744B1 (en) | Laminar flow pneumatic conveying device | |
WO2000039009A1 (en) | Conveying particulate material in a pressurised gas | |
US6449998B1 (en) | Shot peening method and device therefor | |
AU782949B2 (en) | Changeover valve and gas transportation pipe system | |
US7082955B2 (en) | Axial input flow development chamber | |
US4768721A (en) | Grinder housing for a pressure chamber grinder | |
US6637982B2 (en) | Gas transportation method for grain | |
US6637983B2 (en) | Gas transportation method for grain | |
KR101514936B1 (en) | Cereal conveyance device of elevator type | |
JP2010024524A (en) | Charging apparatus in blast furnace | |
JPH04193479A (en) | Shot peening device | |
CN220148640U (en) | Powder discharge apparatus and powder conveying system | |
KR20210058390A (en) | The blast apparatus | |
AU782742B2 (en) | Gas transportation method for grain | |
ES2219553T3 (en) | PROCEDURE AND INSTALLATION FOR THE TRANSPORT OF RICE. | |
JP2002308446A (en) | Powder and granular material supply device | |
JP3320012B2 (en) | Powder transport tube | |
SU1346540A1 (en) | Aerodynamic chute for conveying granular material of different particle sizes | |
RU2314988C2 (en) | Method of and device for pneumatic transportation of loose materials |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HITACHI PLANT ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD. Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MITOMO, SEIKI;FUKUSHIMA, YUKIO;MIYAMOTO, MASAAKI;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:012478/0539;SIGNING DATES FROM 20011130 TO 20011205 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HITACHI PLANT TECHNOLOGIES, LTD., JAPAN Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS;ASSIGNOR:HITACHI PLANT ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:019690/0518 Effective date: 20070509 |
|
REMI | Maintenance fee reminder mailed | ||
LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees | ||
STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |
|
FP | Lapsed due to failure to pay maintenance fee |
Effective date: 20110805 |