Hand controlled filling valve for filling containers with gaseous medium

A filling valve for filling compressed gas into gas containers or tubes, comprising an inlet (11) to the valve housing (10), an outlet (12) for connection to the container or tube, an outlet for venting air and a connected channel, in which a spring loaded cone (37) of a high pressure valve is actuated to closing or opening by a displaceable spindle, which is moved by a lever (16) actuated by hand to actuate, via an operating piston (22), the spindle to arrive into three different positions, which allow shut-off, opening and venting, respectively, of the filling valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to filling valves, intended for the filling 
of gas tubes or containers with gas from compressors or pressure 
containers, preferably from air compressors where the connection to the 
compressor is by means of the inlet of the filling valve. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Hitherto, needle valves have been used for filling gas containers. Gas 
containers of this type often are used by personnel in fire brigades, 
which for their firemen equipped with smoke helmets among other things, 
use respirators connected to the gas containers. The air, or the gas 
mixture, that is used for breathing purposes must be completely dry as 
well as completely clean. 
The filling of gas containers is daily work taking place at filling 
stations and the demands for rapidity and safety in the filling operations 
must be set high. The demands for safety of the service personnel handling 
the containers or the tubes at the filling ramps must also be considered, 
so that damages do not occur to individuals and materials due to 
unreliable valves. It is also important, for example, when a hose breaks 
during the filling of gas under elevated pressures, that the risks of 
damage can be eliminated. 
Needle valves, which have been used for the filling of air in gas 
containers, have a tendency to be worn too fast, principally in the 
threads, resulting in unacceptable leakage. 
A needle valve provided with threads requires for good performance during 
opening and closing that some kind of lubricating takes place; otherwise, 
the threads will seize. When the valve is forced to function in dry air, 
not having any lubricating properties, the valve wears out too rapidly and 
will become unusable too quickly. As a consequence, there will be large 
costs for the replacement of needle valves, as their lives are too short. 
For a filling operation, it is necessary to use two needle valves. As 
safety in the filling operation is an essential demand, and the drawbacks 
with initial leakage already after approximately 200 filling operations 
are evident, it is important to find a better technical solution of the 
problems encountered in filling gas containers. 
To use other types of valves, intended for the filling of other mediums 
than air, for example, filling valves for liquified petroleum gas, are not 
possible. The Swedish Pat. No. 350,824 that relates to just such a valve, 
does not show such constructional features and embodiments that are 
required because it has a ball-shaped valve body, without small seat and 
cone areas which are necessary for work with high pressures. This filling 
valve has no similarities in other respects with the filling valve 
according to the invention, as it furthermore is intended for the filling 
of liquified petroleum gas and not for the filling of dry gas, such as 
air, for example. 
Also, other technical solutions such as ball valves provided with throttle 
nozzles have been tested for the filling of air in tubes and containers. 
In this case, however, it is necessary to use two valves of that type for 
the filling operation. This contributes to the fact that the work tends to 
be difficult as it results in a number of hand operations which do not 
come in a logical succession. This is obviously a further drawback. 
The life of such valves is not especially great either, but may be better 
than for needle valves. The valves function up to approximately 1,000 
filling operations. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
With knowledge of the drawbacks associated with valves of these types, the 
filling valve of this invention has been made to solve the problems. In 
order to meet the demand for reliability, it is essential that no parts 
become worn out quickly and unpredictably. As the valve will work under 
high pressure, great forces will be transferred to valve cones and seats. 
It is an object of the invention to eliminate this drawback. Within the 
scope of the invention this is solved by means of giving small dimensions 
to the tightening seats and the contact surfaces, so that the parts of the 
valve will not be loaded with forces that are too great at high pressures 
against these surfaces. 
At the same time, the valve is smooth operating amd easy and simple to 
handle manually. With the filling valve according to the invention, this 
is possible by means of the working operations, opening, closing and 
venting, taking place in a logical succession at a filling ramp for a 
number of containers or tubes. 
It is essential that the working operations run quickly without the risk of 
error in the maneuvering of the valve, and that closing and exchange of 
gas tubes can take place continuously. If there is risk of a hose break, 
for example, due to over-filling of containers with gas under pressure 
being high, or for other reasons, the present valve provides that the air 
flowing from the compressor will have a reduced discharge velocity, by 
means of a throttle nozzle in the inlet port of the valve. If a hose 
should break otherwise, the piece of the hose that conveys the high 
pressure (working pressure 300 bars) of compressor air would "whip" around 
and make it difficult for anyone of the service personnel to reach the 
shut-off cock at the ramp, without being injured by the hose. As a hose 
break cannot be predictable, it can happen that service personnel, that 
quite naturally must stay near the filling valves, completely unprepared 
will be hit by a "whipping" hose stump or piece of hose. This has happened 
in practice, and being struck by a hose under high pressure can cause 
injury to the person hit. 
The valve completes in a way of safety the system in which it forms a part, 
viz. that which includes a sliding filling coupling with a safety valve 
for hose breaks in the form of a resetting valve provided between the gas 
container and the filling valve. The resetting valve allows, however, that 
a small flow of approximately 50 liters per minute can pass at venting, 
and discharge. Under these circumstances, the filling valve and the 
coupling are attached to the container or the tube. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve that 
eliminates in high degree the inconveniences that are evident in known 
valves, so that it has a longer life, and in connection with this a better 
safety during operation. 
Within the scope of the invention the valve can be connected to a 
compressor, but for the filling of a number of containers simultaneously, 
it is preferred that a filling valve needed for each container is 
connected to a ramp, which has a common feeding conduit from a compressor. 
Necessary manometers are connected to the valve for practical reasons for 
measuring the current pressure used for the containers in question.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The valve shown in FIGS. 2-4 has a valve housing 10 comprising a solid body 
of metal. An inlet 11 having a threaded connection 42 for the compressor 
conduit is provided in a valve body 43 threadedly connected to the lower 
part of the valve housing. An outlet 12 for compressed air from the 
compressor is provided in the side of the valve housing, and is connected 
with a gas container by means of a threaded attachment and hose coupling 
as shown in FIG. 1. 
In the end of the valve housing, opposite to the inlet 11, a piston housing 
26 is provided as a cylinder for an operating piston 22, the cylinder 
being circular and formed as a straight piston bore 25, extending some 
length into the valve housing. In the bottom of this piston bore 25 and in 
the center of the bottom of housing 26, a circular opening passage 27 is 
provided for a spindle 28, which up to approximately two-thirds of its 
length is hollow by being drilled to produce a channel 28A for the passage 
of venting air. 
In the lower part of the piston bore, in its wall, i.e. in the piston 
housing 26, a circular channel opening 13 is provided extending 
perpendicularly out to the side opposite from the outlet opening 12 of the 
valve housing 10, whereby this channel conveys venting air out from the 
valve housing via a threaded opening 13A provided in the valve housing, to 
which opening a fitting 15 is connected, comprising a noise-suppression 
device including a sintered filter 14, through which venting air can pass 
out to the open atmosphere without unpleasant noise for the service 
personnel. 
The operating piston 22 is displaceable in its bore by means of a pivotable 
lever 16 arranged straight above the operating piston. The lever 16 can be 
set in three distinct positions by being manually moved to pivot around a 
fixed axis C lying in a plane perpendicular to the vertical plane. A fixed 
pivot 18, arranged in this plane, runs through a hole in the end of the 
lever which is in contact with the operating piston 22, so that the center 
of the through hole coincides with the pivot axis C. The lever is so 
attached on the pivot 18 that a moving of the lever in the vertical plane 
can take place, with freedom from play, into three distinct positions. 
These positions are set, when a cam 17, shaped at the end of the lever, 
for cam-controlling, is in contact with the horizontal top-surface of the 
operating piston 22 with the land surface 19 of the cam 17 corresponding 
to venting, and in shut-off position and in filling position when in 
contact with the top-surface of the control piston with the land surfaces 
20 and 21, respectively. 
The venting function of the valve is provided by the venting valve 
components which will now be described. 
The operating piston 22 has an enclosed plate in its end face opposite to 
the top-surface, in the center of which is a valve member 23 having 
dimensions so that it fully closes, or seats, against the small seat 24 
arranged at the upper end of spindle 28 that is displaceable into the 
bottom of the piston bore 25 through the passage 27. It is essential that 
the contact surfaces between the valve member and seat are small and do 
not produce great forces at high pressures and wear on included parts in 
the valve. Repeated contact between the surfaces at several fillings daily 
demand that the material of the valve member 23 and spindle seat 24 has 
good resistance to wear in combination with a good seating fit of the 
valve member and seat against each other. 
The spindle 28 extends down into a channel centrally located in the valve, 
so that said channel is in alignment with and meets the channel 40, 
arranged in the valve body 43 for the inflow of compressor air, and the 
continuation of said channel 40 in the cone bore 39. 
In the bottom of the drilled channel 28A a through hole 1 mm in diameter 29 
is arranged, perpendicular to the spindle wall for the inflow of air, 
which will pass out from the cavities of the valve after closing of the 
gas container and out from the inflow channel connected to the threaded 
coupling attached to the compressor. The lower third part of the spindle 
28, disposed in the inflow channel, transforms into a solid part and has a 
somewhat smaller diameter. The lower end 35 of the spindle extends to a 
position, which is located in such adjusted distance from the top of the 
cone valve member 37, that at the position of the lever 16 for closing, 
the end 35 of the spindle has sufficient play to the top of the cone valve 
member so that at further displacement of the spindle, corresponding to an 
opening position, the spindle end pushes against the top of the cone valve 
member, and against the action of the spring 38 in the cone bore 39, and 
thereby presses down the cone valve member 37 enough to create necessary 
free passage of compressed air from the compressor through the valve seat 
36. 
The solid lower third part of the spindle 28 passes through a hollow, loose 
circular washer 30, which is fitted up against the end surface 30A of the 
spindle which serves as support for the resetting spring 32. This 
resetting spring encircles the solid end of the spindle and has its 
opposite end supported on the valve seat 36 of the cone 37. The washer 30 
is located in a guiding sleeve 31, surrounding the part of the spindle 28 
adjacent where it is transformed into a smaller diameter. 
Above the guiding sleeve 31, which is penetrated by the spindle 28, a 
circular hollow sealing element 33 is arranged and seals directly against 
the envelop surface of the spindle. 
The valve seat 36 is closely connected to the valve body 43 by means of a 
gasket ring 34. 
It is important that sealing elements, and especially the sealing element 
33, have long life and a surface resistant to wear. Such an element has 
been found in a sealing ring of teflon with self-lubricating properties, 
which makes it possible to obtain good service for this function. 
In the inlet 40 for compressed air a throttle sleeve 41 is arranged, 
through which air passes during the filling operation carried out with an 
appropriate filling velocity. This is achieved by setting the diameter of 
the channel of the throttle sleeve at 1.6 mm. 
For the passage of compressed air into the gas container a connection 
channel 44 is arranged in communication with the outlet opening 12 of the 
valve housing 10, wherefrom it concentrically extends perpendicular to the 
channel wherein the solid part of the spindle 28 together with the 
resetting spring 32 are displaceably arranged. 
The filling of gas tubes with gas from a compressor takes place by using 
the filling valve according to the invention in the following manner. 
At the starting point of the filling operation the lever 16 is placed in 
its center position as shown in FIG. 2. The gas container, which still is 
unopened, is coupled to the outlet 12 via a valve reducing the effects of 
hose breaks, in the form of a check valve, and the connection of the inlet 
11 of the valve to a feeding conduit of the compressor is made by means of 
a conventional threaded fitting attachment in a reliable way (FIG. 1). The 
cam 17 of the lever with the land surface 20 pushes down the operating 
piston 22 and the valve member 23 into a tightened fit against the valve 
seat 24 of the spindle 28. At the same time the spindle is displaced a 
short distance downwardly. A play arises as shown in FIG. 2 between the 
upper narrow part of the spindle and the upper wall section part of the 
guide channel of the spindle in the filling valve. By the action of the 
resetting spring 32 against the spindle 28, via the washer 30 and the 
fixed support of the resetting spring against the land surface of the 
valve seat 36, the channel 28A is sealed at the valve seat 24. 
The valve of the gas container will now be opened and sets the filling 
valve under pressure with remaining pressure from the container, if any, 
but the hollow drilled channel 28A is still sealed, as mentioned above, 
and the teflon ring 33 seals between the envelope surface of the spindle 
and the wall of its guiding channel. 
The lever 16 is moved to an opening position shown in FIG. 3 for filling of 
gas into the gas container where the control cam 17 contacts with the land 
surface 21 and pushes the piston 22 and spindle 28 a further short 
distance downwardly in the replacement channel of the spindle into contact 
of the solid spindle end 35 against the valve cone 37, which against the 
action of the resetting spring is moved from its seated position in the 
valve seat 36 and allows free passage for compressed air to flow in and 
fill the container via the valve cone bore, the cavity of the resetting 
spring 32 and the connection channel 44 to the container. 
When the container is filled to a desired pressure, the lever 16 is again 
moved to the middle position (FIG. 2), a shut-off position for the filling 
valve, whereby the spindle returns to closed position by the force of the 
resetting spring 32, and by displacement upwards of the spindle, which now 
again seals against the valve member 23. Simultaneously, the pressure 
against the top of the valve cone 37 is removed when the lower end of the 
spindle is displaced upwardly from the valve seat 36. The valve cone 37 
returns to closed position by means of the resetting spring 38 and the 
compression pressure. 
The valve of the gas container is then closed and the lever 16 is moved to 
the venting position (FIG. 4) whereby the contact of the cam 17 against 
the operating piston 22 will be changed, so that the land surface 19 will 
be contacted and the operating piston 22 will be pressed upwards by the 
remaining pressure in the valve. The valve member 23 as a consequence is 
raised off of seat 24. The admitting port 29 and the channel 28A will then 
be in communication with the inlet 11 and outlet channel 44 of the gas 
container, and the included air, between the filling valve and gas 
container, is vented to the atmosphere via the venting channel 13 and the 
sound damper 14. 
The throttle nozzle 41 in the inlet 11 of the filling valve allows 
appropriate filling velocity as mentioned, but also protects against too 
rapidly discharging the gas, if for example, a hose break takes place at A 
according to FIG. 1. 
For the filling of a number of containers at the same time from a ramp, the 
valve of the gas container is left open, if time does not permit shut-off, 
whereby over-filling of the rest of the containers is avoided. The valves 
are then closed when all the containers have been filled. 
The present invention makes it possible to achieve safety for the service 
personnel and reliability in the function of the valve as proven by 
practical tests conducted during quite a long time. Demounting of the 
valve and measuring of dimensions of movable components have shown that no 
noticeable wear has occurred after approximately 10,000 working cycles of 
the valve according to the invention.