Patent ID: 8127793
Filing Date: 2012-03-06
Classification: F16K,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A rotary valve apparatus comprising: a casing having a fluid passageway; a rotor rotatably mounted in the casing and configured to control, by rotation thereof, a flow state of fluid flowing in the fluid passageway; a drive mechanism for rotating the rotor; and a lock mechanism configured to allow transmission of a rotational force from the drive mechanism to the rotor and to inhibit rotation of the rotor under non-rotation driving state of the drive mechanism; wherein said casing includes an accommodating space for accommodating said rotor; said accommodating space is surrounded by an inner peripheral wall coaxial with a rotational shaft of said rotor; said inner peripheral wall includes a first projecting portion and a second projecting portion that project into said accommodating space and oppose to each other across said rotational shaft; leading ends of said first projecting portion and said second projecting portion form an arcuate shape coaxial with said rotational shaft in a cross section perpendicular to said rotational shaft; said fluid passageway includes at least a first fluid passageway and a second fluid passageway; said rotor is configured to control, by rotation thereof, the flow state of the fluid such that the fluid is caused to flow through either one of said first fluid passageway and said second fluid passageway; said first projecting portion includes a first peripheral end face on one side in the peripheral direction of this first projecting portion and a second peripheral end face on the other side in the peripheral direction of this first projecting portion; said second projecting portion includes a third peripheral end face located on one side in the peripheral direction of this second projecting portion and in opposition to said first peripheral end face and a fourth peripheral end face located on the other side in the peripheral direction of this second projecting portion and in opposition to said second peripheral end face; said rotor includes a first partitioning portion disposed on one side in the direction perpendicular to said rotational shaft across this rotational shaft and a second partitioning portion disposed on the other side in the direction perpendicular to said rotational shaft; said first partitioning portion and said second partitioning portion each have a planar shape extending at least in the axial direction of said rotational shaft; said first partitioning portion includes a first contacting portion formed in one side thereof contactable with at least said first peripheral end face of said first projecting portion and a second contacting portion formed on the other side thereof contactable with at least said third peripheral end face of said second projecting portion; said second partitioning portion includes a third contacting portion formed in one side thereof contactable with at least said second peripheral end face of said first projecting portion and a fourth contacting portion formed on the other side thereof contactable with at least said fourth peripheral end face of said second protecting portion; in response to rotation of said rotor in one direction said first contacting portion of said first partitioning portion comes into contact with said first peripheral end face of said first projecting portion and said fourth contacting portion of said second partitioning portion comes into contact with said fourth peripheral end face of said second projecting portion, thereby to provide a sealing state for blocking communication between said first fluid passageway and said second fluid passageway; and in response to rotation of said rotor in the other direction, said second contacting portion of said first partitioning portion comes into contact with said third peripheral end face of said second projecting portion and said third contacting portion of said second partitioning portion comes into contact with said second peripheral end face of said first projecting portion, thereby to provide a sealing state for blocking communication between said first fluid passageway and said second fluid passageway.