Patent ID: 6076831
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: F16K

Abstract:
A rotary valve comprising:a housing having a bore and a cavity, said bore having a recess forming a first shoulder;a valve member rotatably supported within said cavity;a switching shaft rotatable supported in said bore and coupled with said valve member in order to rotate said valve member upon rotation of said shaft, said shaft having a concave sealing surface;a spring positioned to bias said shaft away from said valve member; anda sealing ring substantially rectangular in cross section within said recess of said bore, said sealing ring having a convex sealing surface adjacent to and cooperating with said concave sealing surface of said shaft, said convex sealing surface having a radius of curvature that is smaller than a radius of curvature of said concave sealing surface to establish a line contact between said concave sealing surface and said convex sealing surface independent of the orientation of said shaft and said bore.