US2991792A - Safety reset valve - Google Patents

Description

July 11, 1961' Filed April 21, 1959 W. A. RAY ETAL SAFETY RESET VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f 40 I a;

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RICH/92D D. Gem $0M BY Jam ad/V 44 Patented July 11, 1961 2,991,792 SAFETY RESET VALVE William A. Ray, North Hollywood, and Richard D.

Grayson, La Canada, Calif.', assig'nors to General Controls Co., Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Apr. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 807,837 2 Claims. (Cl. 1'37--66) This invention relates to fuel valves, and particularly to safety gas valves adapted to supply a burner with fuel. Such safety valves are now in common use and usually include an electromagnet energized by a thermocouple or thermopile heated by the pilot flame.

In such devices, it has also been common to provide for manually resetting the valve to open position, but the valve can be retained in open position by the electromagnet only after the pilot flame is reestablished. To accomplish this result, it has been customary to hold the pilot valve in open position and simultaneously to light the pilot burner while the gas flow to the main burner is prevented.

In the usual type of burner installation, the pilot burner is quite accessible for lighting it. However, there are other forms in which the pilot burner location, to comply with design requirements, is such as to make it diflicult, if not impossible, to light it with a match. One such type of installation is in conjunction with an oven as used in a modern range.

It is one of the objects of this invention to make it possible to light the pilot burner by first lighting the main burner, which is invariably readily accessible, and the flame of which ignites the gas issuing from the pilot burner.

It is another object of this invention to ensure that during this lighting operation, the flow of gas to the main burner is substantially below full flow.

It is still another object of this invention to improve, in general, safety reset valves of this character.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the safetyreset valve incorporating the invention and used in a system, the valve being shown in fully opened position;

' FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve incorporating the invention, illustrating the valve in fully closed posi ionu. p

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the valve in the process of being reset;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the closure structure for the reset valve, shown as cooperating with a valve seat and in the resetting position of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a main burner 1 is illustrated as fed with gaseous fuel through a conduit pipe 2. This burner is shown merely diagrammatically, as obviously it can be of a configuration corresponding to a domestic gas oven. Conduit pipe 2 connects to the outlet side of a safety valve structure 3. A source of gaseous fuel is connected to the inlet side of the valve 3 as by the aid of a conduit 4.

The valve 3 operates as a safety reset valve, the func- -tion of which is now generally well known. This valve operates to interrupt the flow of fuel to the burner 1 when the flame 5 of a pilot burner 6 is extinguished. This pilot burner 6 is shown as fed by aid of a conduit 7 supplied with gas when the valve 3 is open.

The valve 3 includes a body 8 having an inlet connection 9 and an outlet connection 10 into which conduits 4 and 2, respectively, extend.

The body 8 has a generally cylindrical portion 11 ex tending upwardly. This extension 11 forms a chamber 12 which is in constant communication with the inlet conduit 4. Between the outlet conduit 2 and the chamber 12 there is interposed a valve seat 13 (FIG. 4). This valve seat surrounds a chamber 14 in constant communication with the outlet conduit 2. Accordingly, when a valve closure structure is seated on the valve seat 13, the flow of fuel to the burner 1 is interrupted.

The valve body 8 is closed by a cap or cover 15 appropriately attached to the extension 11. A gasket 16, interposed between the cover 15 and extension 11, serves to seal the body. While the pilot flame 5 is in existence, electro-magnet coils 17 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are energized by the aid of a thermocouple or thermopile 18 influenced by the heat of the flame 5. These coils are wound on the legs of a U-shaped core member 19 having polar areas adapted to hold an armature 20 in the attracted position. This armature may be of disk form. When the armature 20 is held in this position, the valve closure structure 21 is in the full open position of FIG. 1. The leads 17a (FIG. 2) of the coils 17 extend through a sealing rubber grommet 17b in the wall of cover 15.

The valve closure structure 21 is supported by the aid of a cylindrical post 22. This post 22 has a reduced upper hollow portion 23 which is received in a tapered recess in the armature 20 and upset so as to flare for holding the parts together.

The post 22 has a central recess provided with threads engaging a stud 24 (FIG. 4) carried by a closure support 25 of disk form. The lower edge of the post 22 serves to clamp a disk 26 against the upper surface of the support 25. A resilient closure proper 27 (made of rubber or the like) has an inwardly directed flange 28 forming an annular groove into which the edge of the disk 26 may be accommodated. Due to the resilience of the rubber, the closure can be readily stretched over disk 26. In this way, the closure 27 is supported on the disk 26.

The disk 26 is provided with a plurality of equiangularly spaced rectangular ports or apertures 29 (FIG. 5). Four are shown in the present instance.

Slidably mounted on the post 22 is a collar 30' which is supported in the bottom wall of a supplemental housing 31, as by an upset flange 31a. The upper wall or cover 32 of this housing carries the core 19 as by the aid of a fitting 34 which carries a nut 33 engaging the upper surface of the cover 32. 34 downwardly, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, will carry the magnet core 19 downwardly into contact with the armature 20. This position is indicated in FIG. 3.

The fitting 34 is threaded into the interior surface 35 of a tubular member 36 formed integrally with a push button 37. This sleeve or tubular member 36 is guided by the aid of an aperture 38 formed in the casing cover 15. An O-ring 39 provides a seal for the chamber 12.

A light compression spring 40 is disposed around the sleeve 36 and urges the button 37 upwardly to the position of FIG. 2, except when it is purposely urged downwardly by a finger of the operator. Such a downwardly held position is indicated in FIG. 3.

Let us assume that the valve is closed as in FIG. 2. Pressure on the button 37 moves the electromagnet core Thus, movement of the fitting 19 downwardly to the position of FIG. 3. sion spring 41, interposed between the bottom of the supplemental casing 31 and the disk 26, is compressed (see particularly FIG. 4). The closure 27 is thereupon urged strongly against the seat 13.

In this position, gas is permitted to flow through the restricted passageways or ports 29 so as to make it possible to ignite the main burner 1 to provide a flame 42. The flow of gas through these ports 29 is of sufficiently low pressure so that the flame at the main burner will not be blown out but high enough so as to ignite the pilot burner 6.

To ensure that the gas supply to main burner 1 is completely shut ofl? when the valve is in the position of FIG. 2, a supplemental closure is provided for all of the ports 29. This closure 43 is made of metal and has an upper edge or surface 44 adapted to engage the lower surface of the closure 27.

This supplemental closure member is carried by a post 45 fastened as by a spring ring 46 into a recess 47 formed in the bottom of the supplemental closure 43. This post 45 extends through the stud 24 and into the hollow lower end of the post 22. A compression spring 48 acts against the head 49 of the post 45 to urge this post upwardly, normally to the position of FIG. 2. In this position, the gas is completely shut off.

In order that the ports 29 be uncovered during the resetting operation, a U-shaped member 50 has arms 50:: and 50b extending through a pair of diametrically opposite ports 29. This U-shaped member 50 is held in place against the inside surface 51 of the supplemental closure 43 as by the aid of a fastening pin 52 or the like. The upper edges of the arms of the U-shaped member 50 are adapted to be contacted by the lower surface of the collar 30 as it is moved downwardly by the push button 37. This resetting position is indicated in FIG. 4.

After the burner 42 is lighted by a match when the valve is in the position of FIG. 4, the pilot burner 6 is also ignited by flame 42. The push button 37 may then be released after a short interval. This release brings the electromagnet core 19 and the armature 20 to such position as to lift the entire closure structure 27 off the seat, as viewed in FIG. 1. Accordingly, full gas flow is permitted to the main burner 1.

Should the pilot flame be extinguished, the closure structure 21 is released by the electromagnet core 19 and is urged to the fully closed position of FIG. 2. In this position, all of the ports 29 are closed by the supplemental closure member 43.

Should it be desired to reset the apparatus, the push button 37 is urged downwardly to the position of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. In this position, the burner 1 can be ignited so as to produce a low flame 42. This burner in turn ignites the pilot flame 5. Shortly thereafter, the button 37 may be released to assume the position of FIG. 1.

The inventors claim: 1. In a safety fuel valve structure: a valve body having an inlet passage, an outlet passage and a valve seat which, when closed, serves to interrupt the passage of A compresfuel between the passages; a main valve closure cooperating with the seat and serving to define chambers respectively connecting with the inlet passage and the outlet passage; said main closure being located in the inlet passage; a movable main stem carrying the main closure; means releasably coupled to the main stem for lifting the main closure from the seat; said main closure having at least two spaced ports through which fluid may pass between the inlet and outlet; a supplemental closure for said ports, operating on that side of the main closure which is exposed in the outlet chamber; arms attached to the closure and extending through said ports, said arms having edges in the inlet chamber; an auxiliary stem for the supplemental closure; a guide for the auxiliary stem carried by the main stem; said main stem having a hollow portion for the entry of the auxiliary stem; resilient means in the hollow portion for urging the auxiliary closure to closing position; movable means guided by the main stem for engaging the said arm edges to cause the auxiliary closure to uncover said ports; and means for resiliently returning the means guided by the main stem, to cause the auxiliary closure to close the ports.

2. In a safety fuel valve structure: a valve body having an inlet passage, an outlet passage and a valve seat which, when closed, serves to interrupt the passage of fuel between the passages; a main valve closure cooperating with the seat and serving to define chambers respectively connecting with the inlet passage and the outlet passage; said rnain closure being located in the inlet passage; a movable main stem carrying the main closure; means releasably coupled to the main stem for lifting the main closure from the seat; said main closure having at least two spaced ports through which fluid may pass between the inlet and outlet; a supplemental closure for said ports, operating on that side of the main closure which is exposed in the outlet chamber; arms attached to the closure and extending through said ports, said arms having edges in the inlet chamber; an auxiliary stem for the supplemental closure; a guide for the auxiliary stem carried by the main stem; said main stem having a hollow portion for the entry of the auxiliary stem; resilient means in the hollow portion for urging the auxiliary closure to closing position; movable means guided by the main stem for engaging the said arm edges to cause the auxiliary closure to uncover said ports; said means for lifting the main stem being joined to said means that is guided by the main stem; and resilient means for urging said lifting means away from the main stem, for permitting the auxiliary closure to close the ports.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,290,108 M'antz July 14, 1942 2,321,095 Mantz June 8, 1943 2,850,030 Guelson Sept. 2, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 807,389 Germany June 28, 1951

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