Improved throttling regulator for liquefied gas bottles

Abstract: An improved throttling regulator for liquefied gas bottles of those designed to be coupled to a bottle containing liquefied gas, in cooperation with a valve located on the upper part of same, characterized in that it is constituted starting from a body (18) made of a zamak alloy, having a cover (4) made of the same material, having a ring (15), made of acetal resin, for ball connection, and a control flywheel (1) for opening, adjusting and closing the gas flow. Inside said body, there is a housing wherein the valve is located, so that its tightness ring performs a closing on the zone (22).

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present specification refers to an improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles, the evident aim of which is to constitute a quick coupling to a bottle through a direct connection with a valve incorporated therein, disposing of a regulation chamber formed by the upper part of the valve and the lower part of the regulator, the adjusting of same being performed through a self-closing shutter of the - valve in question. The regulator ensures, in a rest position, through a spring under pressure, that the stem does not act on the gas throttling opening of the valve incorporated in the bottle. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention applies to the industry belonging to the manufacture of gas regulators. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Patent document DE-A-2 036 331 is known to provide a pressure regulator for extracting gas from cylinders containing pressurised liquefied gas, preferably propane or butane, fitted with a top knob driven by the user, being internally associated to a shaft travelling vertically, turning of said knob therefore causing said shaft to travel, its lower face being envisaged as a pushing area for a controlling spigot whose lower end acts upon pressurised gas cylinder shutting means, and moving against a spring bias. The spigot head is enlarged and housed in a bore made in said shaft, the spigot moreover having sealing means at an intermediate area to shut or open communication, depending on its position, between the cylinder valve outlet and the regulating chamber of said regulator, said chamber being upwardly delimited by a regulation member joined to said travelling shaft. This arrangement, costly to construct, has been materially improved by the regulator of this invention wherein the driving and controlling members are wholly independent of the membrane delimiting the regulator chamber and wherein said regulation chamber communicates directly with both the cylinder valve and the outlet nozzle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles, as proposed by the invention, constitutes per se an evident improvement in its use by an user, and, at the same time, has peculiar characteristics making it possible, endowing it with a greater safety than the conventional regulators used up to now. In a more definite way, the improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles constitutes a unit in which there are two perfectly differentiated parts operating according to a total independence, i.e.: A quick coupling to the valve. The user can regulate the use presure. The coupling to the valve constitutes a connection between the regulator and the valve, this connection being made by the user, lifting with his/her hands a plastic ring and placing the unit on a valve incorporated into a bottle, and carrying out then the insertion of same by pressing the ring towards the lower zone, so that the fixing balls provided become inserted into a housing specially arranged in the valve for this purpose. The regulation of the gas pressure by the user is performed in a chamber located between the tightening ring of the valve and the regulator membrane, the tightness of which is ensured by the pressure exerted on it by a fastener, which, in turn, is united to the lower body of a flanging arranged at an appropiate zone. In order to place the regulator at work, it is necessary to rotate anticlockwise a knob located at the upper part, and then a spindle descends a nut which is guided by ribs, displacing a spring which pushes the stem so that, in its displacement, it comes into contact with a shutter located at the upper and center part of the valve, with which the gas pressure opens, so obtaining a pressure balance which is proportional to the pressure - exerted as said spring is compressed. In order to put this regulator in a resting position, the - mentioned knob is rotated clockwise, so making the spring pressure to descend, and lastly, by means of a second spring, the unit will be placed in a resting position, the emerging stem being in contact with the lower part of the spindle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to complement this description and to aid to a better understanding of the features of this invention, the accompanying drawings, which are a part of the present specification, show, in an illustrative and non limitative manner, the following Figure 1 shows a side elevational vew of the improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles of the invention. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the upper part of the object illustrated in Fig. 1. Figure 3 shows a plan view of the lower part of the object illustrated in the preceding figures. Figure 4 shows, lastly, a side elevational view, duly sectioned, of the object of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION From these figures, it can be seen that the improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles, which is the object of the present invention, is constituted as a variable pressure regulator, consisting of a main body 18, made of a zamak alloy. The regulator has a cover 4 made of a material similar to that of the main body, and a ring 15, made of acetalic resin, intended for permitting a ball connection and a adjusting knob 1 intended for allowing the user toopen, adjust and close the gas passing. At its lower part, the main body has a housing where the valve is located, which, of course, is incorporated in the upper part of the bottle so that the tightening ring of same carries out the closing at the point referenced as 22. Upwards, in Fig. 4 it can be seen the existence of a movable shank joined with a membrane 10 by means of a plate 12 and a nut 11, the whole being joined in common. The whole assembly is fixed to the body by means of a fastener 9, which is retained by projections 23, exerting pressure on membrane 10, with which an appropiate tightness is obtained at the contact point. In the rest position, a spring 14 pushes the assembly, not allowing the movable shank 13 to contact with the shutter 20. The space between the tightening ring of the valve and the before mentioned point constitutes a regulation chamber 24, which communicates, through an orifice 21 and a nozzle 25, with the consumption device. The independent operation of the control unit starts from a spring 26 which is pushed by a nut 5 which, in turn, is guided by means of ribs 6 and 27, its travel being limited by a whasher 7 and a pin 8. These elements are arranged on a spindle 2 having a limited - travel in its upward zone 28 of said spindle 2, which, in turn, in housed in the cover 4, both resting on a running washer 3 allowing the control unit to smoothly slide. Said knob 1 is housed in a spindle having two paralel faces and a groove in which two resilient ribs are inserted to radiallly and axially fix said knob 1. This assembly features the circumstance that both at the limit of the upper travel and at the limit of the lower travel, the pressures created act only on the speindle assembly, without affecting other elements, so constituting, as a result, a floating system. The cover 4 is fixed to the body 18 by means of a locking at the zone 29 through a joint 19. It is to be noted that the more important characteristics of this regulator lie in the opening spindle on the valve shutter, which is normally closed save in the case that the regulation spring acts on it, becoming, as a result of this positioning, in a work situation. The control system, as above mentioned, is a floating one, with which a light operation is obtained and it achieves a direct pressure of the nut on no element outside the spindle and the regulation spring. It is obvious that this regulator means a full isolation of the gas chamber and the regulation system, which ensures that any outer shock on the assembly affects the tightness of the regulation chamber. As already said in the description of the invention, the connection of the regulator to the valve is achieved by lifting,with both hands, the plastic ring 15 and putting the regulator assembly on the valve by introducing into it and pressing then the - ring toward the lower zone, so that the fixing balls 16 insert into the housing provided for this purposed in the valve. The regulation of the working gas pressure is achieved within a regulation chamber 24 which is located between the tightening ring of the closing valve 22 and the regulator membrane 10, the tightness of which is ensured by the pressure exerted on same by the fastener 9 which, in turn, is united to the lower body 18 by a projection located at the zone referenced as 23. The regulator has an orifice on it, referenced as 21, which allows the gas to pass, as well as some auxiliary elements referenced as 17, in order to contribute to a good performance of the assembly. To position the regulator into a work position, the user will, through the knob 1, rotate this anticlockwise, with which the spindle 2 will descend the nut 5, which, in turn, is guided by ribs 6 and 27, displacing the spring 26 which pushes the movable shank 13 so that, in its displacement, it contacts the shutter 30 of the valve, so opening the gas passage, establishing a pressure balance which will be proportional to that created as said spring 26 compresses. To obtain a resting position, the user will operate inversely, rotating the knob 1 clockwise, so obtaining that the spring pressure 6 yields and becomes lastly put into a resting position by means of the spring 14, achieving the contact between the movable shank 13 and the lower part of the spindle 2. It is not considered necessary to extend more this description for an expert in the art to understand the scope of the invention and the advantages derived from it. The materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements are open to variation, provided that it does not imply any alteration to the essence of the invention. The terms under which this specification has been described should be taken in an ample and non limitative sense.

Claims: An improved pressure regulator for liquefied gas bottles adaptable by means of a ball connection to a pressurized gas container valve, provided with an external knob (1) for user opening, adjustment and closing of the gas flow, also provided with an outlet nozzle (25) internally connected to a regulating chamber (24) defined inside the regulator and externally adapted for connection to a consumer device, said regulator being furthermore provided with a movable shank (13) acting via its lower end on a valve in the pressurized gas container and in which a membrane (10) is fitted for dividing the inner space in two separate chambers, characterized in that said movable shank (13) consists of an independent element separated from the adjustment means and secured to said inner space dividing membrane (10) in such a manner that a portion of said shank lies above said membrane (10), facing the actuating and control means, while another portion of the shank lies underneath said membrane (10), its end facing the container gas outlet valve; whereby said membrane (10) incorporates a plate (12) on its upper face which is kept in place by means of a nut (11) associated to said shank (13), and whereby a plate (9), associated to membrane (10), has been provided, its perimeter edges being superimposed on those of said membrane for fastening through projections (23) of the body (18) which extend inwards. A pressure regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment and control means which are manually activated via the external button (1) comprise a spindle fitted with a nut movable against the action of a spring (26), said nut being guided along its movement by means of side ribs (6, 27), the movement of the nut (5) being limited downwards by a washer (7) and a pin (8), said spring (26) being required to exert a biasing action, as nut (5) descends, over membrane (10), thereby offsetting the shank (13) for activating the gas outlet shutter (20). A pressure regulator according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it further comprises a spring (14) lodged on the lower portion of shank (13), said spring (14) being required to recover the assembly when pressure on membrane (10) ceases, thus allowing the gas container valve to close. A pressure regulator according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in that said regulation chamber (24) located under said membrane (10) is in direct communication with the gas container outlet valve through an access hole (21).

Inventors: ANTUNEZ JIMENEZ JOSE, VELA LUMBRERAS ANTONIO, ANTUNEZ JIMENEZ, JOSE, VELA LUMBRERAS, ANTONIO, Antunez Jimenez, José
Applicants: REPSOL BUTANO SA, REPSOL-BUTANO, S.A.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: F17C13
IPC codes: G05D16, F17C13