Cartridge valve and manifold assembly

A cartridge valve and valve manifold assembly having a valve manifold with at least one valve receptacle for threadlessly receiving and seating a cartridge valve. A threadless valve nose engages the cartridge valve with the manifold to provide an increased diameter central orifice for improved fluid flow.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of this invention relates to a quick connect cartridge valve and manifold assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Cartridge valves have long been commonly used and in connection with a wide variety of applications for example the control of industrial tools. Cartridge valves are generally cylindrical in shape, are often solenoid actuated and are connected to a valve manifold. The valve manifold may contain many cartridge valves to independently control multiple functions of tools.

The cartridge valve has an overall cylindrical shape due to the solenoid coil with a plunger slideably position within the coil. The valve often has a central valve passage through a centrally located nose and a second valve opening radially spaced outward of the first valve passage. The valve seat is located about the central first valve passage to seat the plunger that is actuated by energizing the solenoid coil. Cartridge valves may be normally open valves that are closed when actuated or normally closed valves that are opened when actuated.

Known connections between the cartridge valve and the manifold have been often a threaded connection. The threaded connection can be about the nose of the cartridge valve that threadably engages complementary threads in the valve manifold. The flow capacity of the valve of a predetermined outer diameter is often dictated by the maximum diameter of the central valve passage commonly called the valve orifice that can be placed through the central nose. In turn, the maximum diameter of the central valve passage is constrained by the dimensions of the outer threads and the thickness of the nose wall for adequate structural strength.

What is needed is an improved cartridge valve with improved flow capacity that easily connects to and disconnects from the valve manifold.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cartridge valve and valve manifold assembly has a valve manifold with at least one valve receptacle for receiving and seating a cartridge valve. The valve receptacle has an inner valve nose with a passage therethrough. A second passage is positioned outside of the valve nose leading from the valve receptacle. The cartridge valve has an outer valve body sealingly seatable in the valve receptacle and has an actuator device therein. A movable plunger is moveable by the actuator device between an open position unseated away from the valve nose to provide open fluid communication between the first and second passage and a closed position seated against the valve nose to close off the first passage from the second passage.

Preferably, the valve manifold receptacle and the cartridge valve have a positive releasable lock device to releasably lock the cartridge into the valve receptacle. It is desirable that the releasable positive lock device is in the form of a flexible tab on one of the manifold and cartridge valve and a receiving groove on the other of the cartridge valve and manifold.

In one embodiment, the manifold is made of a molded plastic material with the valve nose integrally and simultaneously formed as a unitary section of the manifold. In one embodiment, the movable plunger has a stop shoulder that abuts the valve body to retain the plunger with the cartridge valve.

According to another aspect of the invention, a noseless cartridge valve assembly for seating in a valve manifold has an outer valve body, an actuation device for actuating a moveable plunger between an open and closed position, and the moveable plunger having a first seal thereon and extending into a chamber in an outer valve body for seating on a nose in a cartridge manifold receptacle. Preferably the cartridge valve assembly has a locking tab assembly extending from the outer body for engagement to a valve manifold. The proximate end of the outer body is constructed to seat a second seal member that engages an inner wall of the receptacle. Preferably, the movable plunger has a stop shoulder to abut the valve body to retain it to the cartridge valve. Furthermore, the valve outer body has a central aperture to slidingly receive the plunger and a port passing therethrough to provide fluid communication from the receptacle to the valve body to provide fluid transfer to and from the receptacle to the valve body to prevent vacuum lock of the plunger.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a cartridge valve assembly has an outer valve body with a solenoid coil assembly for actuating a moveable plunger between an open and closed position. A valve seal is about the body for sealing securement to a valve manifold. A threadless valve nose is positioned within the radial confines of the valve seal. A first valve opening and second valve opening are both within the radial confines of the valve seal with the second valve opening extending through the threadless valve nose. The moveable plunger is operable between a closed position to abut the threadless valve nose seat to close off the first opening from the second opening and an open position away from the valve nose seat to allow flow between the first valve opening and the second valve opening.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a valve manifold for seating a plurality of cartridge valves has a plurality of valve receptacles for receiving and seating a respective cartridge valve. Each valve receptacle has an inner valve seat surrounding a first passage and a second passage placed outside of the inner valve seat. The valve receptacle has an annular wall shaped to sealingly engage and lock the cartridge valve about its periphery in place in the receptacle against normal fluid pressure in the manifold.

Preferably the annular wall has an inner surface shaped to engage and lock the cartridge valve in place. In one embodiment, the inner surface has an annular groove therein with a distal lip above the groove for engagement with a locking tab on the cartridge valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring in more detail to the drawings,FIG. 1illustrates a cartridge valve and manifold assembly10with a manifold12and a plurality of cartridge valves14seated in the manifold12.

As more clearly shown inFIGS. 2-4, each cartridge valve14has a solenoid coil assembly16mounted to an open cage body18. A valve plunger20is slidingly received in the solenoid coil16and is spring biased by spring24to a closed position with respect to a nose22in manifold12. Upon actuation of the solenoid coil16, the plunger is lifted against the bias of spring24and gravity to lift from nose22until it abuts against stop25. The plunger20has a groove23near its distal end26which houses a sealing gasket28such as an O-ring that can seal against nose22. The plunger20also has a step29that abuts an inner shoulder31of a valve mounting sleeve30to prevent the plunger20from exiting the cartridge valve14.

The valve mounting sleeve30is secured at the bottom of the cage18. The sleeve has an outer shoulder33that seats gasket35that is carried by the solenoid coil assembly16. The sleeve30is generally annular in shape with a central aperture41. The sleeve30is sized to sealingly fit in a receptacle seat32of the manifold12. The sleeve30has two grooves27running through aperture41down from inner shoulder31. The valve sleeve30has a distal end34that seats a sealing gasket36such as an O-ring thereabout to seal the valve sleeve30with the receptacle seat32. As shown more clearly inFIGS. 3 and 4, a portion of the valve sleeve30forms two opposing flexible tabs38that can be manually operated to be squeezed toward the cage18for disengagement and be normally resiliently flexible to an outward position for engagement to the receptacle32. The tabs38have a lower locking flange40that can engage a groove42at an inner surface44of the receptacle wall46of receptacle32. The groove42of the wall46has an upper lip48which axially locks the lower locking flange40in place. Disengagement of the locking flange40from the groove42and lip48is accomplished by manual squeezing of the tabs38generally radially inward a sufficient distance toward the cage18to disengage from the groove. The tabs28are constructed to be yieldably normally resiliently biased to the engaged position as shown inFIG. 4. The sleeve30has two flats37behind the tabs38to provide respective clearances39for the respective tabs38to flex radially inward. The tabs38are integrally formed with the valve sleeve30.

The sleeve30forms an open ended chamber49therein. As shown inFIG. 4, the valve is normally in a closed position with the plunger20extending through sleeve30and sealingly engaging a seat on nose22within chamber49. When the solenoid coil16is actuated, the plunger20lifts off of nose22to the retracted position shown inFIG. 2to provide fluid communication between a first passage50through the nose22to open ended chamber49and a second passage52through the receptacle32around the exterior of the nose22.

In this fashion the nose22which is integrally formed with the manifold12extends into the receptacle32and is in direct engagement with the valve plunger20. The cartridge valve14has no nose of its own and as such elimination of a sealing gasket found in the prior art is possible. Furthermore, the stepped plunger20is retained in the cartridge valve14even when the cartridge valve is removed from the manifold assembly. In this fashion, the noseless cartridge valve can be shipped as an unitary component.

The noseless cartridge valve14provides for a first passage50that can have a significantly greater cross sectional flow area compared to other passages for a comparable sized cartridge valve. The tabs, flanges and lip provide for locking the valve into the manifold against the greater pressures and forces possible through the increased size of the effective area of the sleeve30and plunger20. The inner grooves27allow for air displacement during energization to transfer from behind the plunger20. Furthermore, the grooves27prevent a vacuum lock condition that would hold the plunger in the retracted energized position.

While the above manifold with an integral nose and improved noseless cartridge valve provides increased flow rates, there may be occasions where an improved quick connect cartridge valve114as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7may have a central nose122and be fitted to manifolds that do not have an integrally formed nose. The improved normally closed cartridge valve114fits into a plastic manifold112. The plastic manifold112does not have the nose or the lip found in the previously described manifold. It has a first central passage150and a second passage152as shown inFIG. 8that is in communication with each receptacle132.

As more clearly shown inFIGS. 7 and 9, the cartridge valve114has a closed casing118housing the solenoid coil116and plunger120. A valve sleeve130is threaded or otherwise secured to the casing118. The valve sleeve130has a central nose122with an external groove154for seating a gasket156such as an O-ring that sealingly fits within passage150. The nose122has an upper integral seat158that is engaged and sealed by the plunger end126and its sealing gasket128. The nose has a central passage159that is in communication with passage150. The valve head body130provides an internal chamber160. A plurality or peripheral ports162about the nose122extend through the valve head body130that are in fluid communication with the receptacle132and second passage152.

The outer periphery163of the valve sleeve130has a groove164for a sealing gasket136such as an O-ring that frictionally fits and seals within the receptacle132. The inner wall surface144of the receptacle has a slight negative cavity slope165shown in exaggerated form inFIG. 8to provide a slight snap fit to retain the sealing gasket136in the receptacle132.

The manifold is sized such that the manifold material will expand around the receptacle region under stress to accommodate the insertion of the O-ring and valve body. Once the body and O-ring have been fully inserted, the manifold receptacle wall144resiliently springs back to its unstressed size and retains the valve body and O-ring. The manifold may be made from a plastic material which allows it to be molded and have the sufficient resilient elasticity to provide the snap fit. For example, commercially available Teijin Panlite 1250Y polycarbonate may be used.

Other plastics, for example, GE Lexan 101 polycarbonate may also be suitable. Stronger plastics or typical commercially available aluminum may also be suitable.

The cartridge valve114is pushed into the receptacle132to sealing engage and be ready for operation. As shown, the valve is normally in the closed position but actuation of the plunger120overcomes the bias of spring124to lift off the nose seat158and place passage150into fluid communication with passage152.

Of course the cartridge valve114may be constructed to be normally open as shown inFIG. 8where the internal mechanism has a plunger220constructed to receive a coil spring224that normally biases the plunger220to the open position and actuation of the solenoid coil116moves the plunger220to engage the nose122and close off the passage150from passage152.

While old thread designs for a particular size cartridge valve left a central passage or orifice having a diameter of 0.100 inch, the nose122by being threadless can be provided with an orifice or central passage159being greatly increased to a diameter of 0.161 inch for a comparable sized valve. The central passage bottleneck is greatly alleviated and the small cartridge valve is capable of providing significantly greater flow rates at higher output pressures. Elimination of the nose from the cartridge valve and substituting the nose and its nose seat onto the manifold as shown inFIGS. 1-5provides even greater improvements in flow rates.

Installation time also is greatly decreased by eliminating the threads on conventional noses. One merely pushes or pulls the valve into and out of its installed position. Secondly, the sealing of the valve to the manifold is not dependant on axial compression of the valve and thus is not as sensitive to relative axial location within the manifold interface. The elimination of threads from the central nose also provides for lower cost manufacturing. Shipping of an assembled unit is not compromised due to the step in the plunger which retains the plunger in a noseless cartridge valve.

Variations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.