Shock absorber

A shock switch main has a main member, a resting device and a return device. The main member has a chamber therein, a first passageway communicated to the chamber, a resting portion at a bottom of the chamber, an aperture on the resting portion, a vertical chamber communicated with the aperture and a second passageway communicated with the vertical chamber. The closing device is rested on the resting portion adapted to drop into the aperture. A return assembly is provided in the vertical chamber, which is moved to move the closing device back to the resting portion from the aperture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a safety application of gas, and more particularly to a shock switch.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many places like Taiwan located at a connection region of the Pacific plate and Eurasia plates, such that Taiwan is one of the regions where earthquakes occur frequently. Earthquakes usually cause fire because of gas leakage that takes human lives and causes property damage. Although we are taught to turn off power and gas, most people are attempting to escape, and there is no time to turn off power and gas prior to escape. That is why earthquakes always take a huge damage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shock switch, which closes the gas piping automatically when earthquakes occur. The shock switch of present invention does not need power and has a simple structure. Gravity is relied on to drop an object to close gas pipes in use. The present invention also provides a return assembly to return the object to the initial location and open the gas pipes again.

According to the objective of the present invention, a shock switch comprises a main member having a chamber therein, a first passageway communicated to the chamber, a resting portion at a bottom of the chamber, an aperture on the resting portion, at least a closing device rested on the resting portion adapted to drop into the aperture, a vertical chamber communicated with the aperture and a second passageway communicated with the vertical chamber. A return assembly is provided in the vertical chamber, which is moved to move the closing device back to the resting portion from the aperture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown inFIG. 1, a shock switch of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises:

A main member10has a chamber11, which could be round, rectangular or triangular, a lid12at a top thereof, a closing device13, which is a ball in the present preferred embodiment, in the chamber11, a first passageway14communicated with the chamber11to be connected to an input hose (not shown) and an aperture15at a bottom wall of the chamber11where a resting portion16is defined at the bottom wall of the chamber around the aperture15. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 4, the resting portion16entirely and continuously surrounds aperture15at a constant level and width around the aperture15. In the present preferred embodiment, a leakproof device17is installed in the aperture15for sealing. The main member further has a vertical chamber18under the aperture15and communicated therewith and a second passageway19communicated with the vertical chamber18to be connected with an output hose (not shown).

A return assembly installed in the vertical chamber18of the main member10has a bar21having a pushing end211, which has an inclined face at the end of the bar21in the present preferred embodiment, and a pressing section212opposite to the pushing end211. The pressing section212has a smaller diameter than that of bar21and is extruded out of the main member10. A flexible ring213is fitted to the bar21for leakproofing the main member10, and a ring214is fitted to the pressing section212at a portion out of the main member10.

When an earthquake occurs, the closing device13drops into the aperture15from the resting portion16due to vibration of main member10to seal the aperture15and close the gas supply. Upon movement of the return assembly20, the bar21is moved upward to return the closing device13back to the resting portion16and restore the gas supply. Thus, the switch of the present invention closes the gas supply during an earthquake, and the switch restores the gas supply when the bar21is pushed inward (when the main member10is fixed) or the main member10is pushed downward (when the bar21is fixed).

To facilitate the operation of the switch of the present invention, the switch is further provided with a spring22fitted to the pressing section212of the bar21and between the ring214and the main member10.

In a steady condition, the closing device13rests on the resting portion16of the chamber11, the bar21is urged by the spring22to locate the pushing end211out of the aperture15. When an earthquake occurs, the closing device13drops into the aperture15from the resting portion16because of vibration of main member10and gravity to close the gas supply, as shown inFIG. 2. The user has to push the bar21inward to move the closing device13back to the chamber11up from the aperture15. The pushing end211helps the closing device13to drop onto the resting portion16, opens the aperture15to restore the gas supply when the gas supply is needed again. After the bar21is released, the spring22moves the closing device13back to the initial position, as shown inFIG. 3.

It has to be mentioned that the resting portion16does not have to be horizontal. As shown inFIG. 5, the resting portion16has a slope D from the aperture15to a margin of the resting portion16. The slope D restricts movement of the closing device13so that the vibration from an earthquake has to be greater than a predetermined value to drop the closing device13into the aperture15. As shown inFIG. 6, the resting portion16has an annular protrusion G around the aperture15. A height of the protrusion G has the same function as the slope D of the resting portion16. The pushing end211of the bar21may have shapes other than that of the inclined face. The pushing end211can be a tip end, as shown inFIG. 5, a convex or ball end, as shown inFIG. 6, and so on. The pushing end211of the bar21is to lift the closing device13out of the aperture15, and soon after the closing device13leaves the aperture15, the pushing end211does not hold the closing device13anymore to drop it onto the resting portion16. The slope D of the resting portion16and the protrusion G can restrict the closing device13on the resting portion16.

As shown inFIG. 4, if the orientation of the vibration of earthquake is along the arrow A, the closing device13has greater chance dropping into the aperture15, and if the orientation is along the arrow B, the closing device13may just go around in the chamber like a satellite. The present inventor further provides the second preferred embodiment to overcome the drawback above.

As shown inFIG. 7toFIG. 10, a shock switch of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the switch of the first preferred embodiment, except that the return assembly20further has a hub23fixed in the vertical chamber18by glue or threads. The hub23has a hole231, which is open at opposite ends of the hub23, and an annular flange232at the end thereof extending out of the main member10. The bar21is received in the hole231of the hub23.

The switch of the second preferred embodiment further has four closing devices13in the chamber11. A separator30is provided in the chamber11of the main member10, on which bores are provided to flow gas therethrough. The separator30has four ribs31on a bottom thereof to divide the chamber11into four sub-chambers32, in which the closing devices13are received respectively, as shown inFIG. 10. It has to be mentioned here, the chamber11can be divided into two or three sub-chambers (not shown) by the ribs31also.

As a result, any orientation of the vibration of earthquake will drop at least one of the closing devices13into the aperture15.

If two or more closing devices13drop into the aperture15together, it might be jammed when the bar21moves upward. To overcome the drawback, a width of the resting portion16is less than a diameter of the closing device13, and a distance between the resting portion16and the ring213is less than the diameter of the closing device13, such that the closing device13still has a portion remaining in the chamber11when it drops into the aperture15to block the other closing devices13dropping into the aperture15. As a result, only one closing device13can drop into the aperture15eliminates the closing devices13jamming.

The closing devices13have portions beyond the resting portion16because the diameters of the closing devices13are greater than the width of the resting portion16. This permits the closing device13in the aperture15to be returned to its original location when the bar21pushes it upward.

As shown inFIG. 11toFIG. 13, a shock switch of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided for convenient operation. The main member10is further provided with a through hole40at an opposite side thereof. A pressing assembly50is provided in the through hole40, which has a movable bar51received in the through hole40, a button52at an end of movable bar51extruded out of the main member10and a spring53fitted to the movable bar51.

A lever54is pivoted in the main member10connected to the pressing assembly50and the pressing section212of the bar21respectively. The button52is pressed by operator to move the bar21via the lever54to return the closing device13.