PRESSURE-REDUCING VALVE FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED GAS INTO BOTTLE PROVIDED WITH CAP

Abstract: A pressure-reducing valve for supplying pressurized gas to a bottle provided with a cap, the pressure-reducing valve (1) comprising a body (2) inside which there is a piston part (4) and a spring (7) arranged in such a way that the piston part (4) adjusts the flow of the pressurized gas through the pressure-reducing valve (1) and that the piston part (4) is acted upon on one side by the spring (7) force and on the opposite side by the pressure of the pressurized gas, whereupon the spring (7) force determines the pressure that is output from the pressure-reducing valve (1). The spring (7) force acting on the piston part (4) and the pressure level of the gas that is output form the pressure-reducing valve (1) are regulated by pressing the spring (7) for example with the cap (19) of the bottle (18).

Description: Pressure-reducing valve for supplying pressurized gas into bottle provided with cap The invention relates to a pressure-reducing valve for supplying pressurized gas into a bottle provided with a cap, the pressure-reducing valve comprising a body, a piston part, a spring, a flow conduit passing through the pressure-reducing valve, and a closing means that is arranged to throttle or prevent the gas flow through the pressure-reducing valve, the piston part being placed inside the body to move in relation to the body, the piston part being acted upon on one side by a spring force and on the opposite side by the pressure of the pressurized gas against the surface of the piston part, whereupon the piston part is arranged to adjust the flow of the pressurized gas through the pressure-reducing valve, and the spring force determines the output pressure. GB 2,122,729 discloses a pressure control device for a beer barrel. The pressure control device comprises a valve having a stem that operates as the piston of the valve and that is pressed downwards by a piston. The piston is further pressed by a spring. When the spring bears down on the piston, the piston further presses the valve stem downwards, so that the pressurized gas can escape from the pressure bottle throttled through the valve. The pressure of the gas flowing through the valve lifts the piston upwards, whereupon the valve stem also rises. The valve stem is simultaneously lifted also by the gas pressure in the pressure bottle. If the pressure of the gas lifting the piston rises sufficiently high with respect to the spring, the valve closes. In the pressure control device, the stem operating as the valve piston is acted upon by the pressure in the pressure vessel. Further, in order for the valve to close and keep closed, a certain pressure level must be maintained constantly below the piston. In other words, for example when the casing of the pressure control device breaks, the pressure vessel will become quite empty. The entire apparatus is complicated, heavy and clumsy, the spring force cannot be adjusted, and the apparatus is not suitable for feeding pressurized gas into a bottle provided with a cap. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pressure-reducing valve for supplying pressurized gas into a bottle, the valve comprising none of the aforementioned drawbacks. The pressure-reducing valve according to the invention is characterized in that the pressure-reducing valve comprises means for pressing the spring axially against the piston part so that the force acting on the spring can be used to open the closing means and to allow the gas flow through the pressure-reducing valve. An essential feature of the invention is that the pressure to be output from the pressure-reducing valve is determined by a spring force acting on one side of the piston of the pressure-reducing valve, and the pressure of the pressurized gas acts on the opposite side of the piston from the spring, and that the spring force acting on the piston and therefore also the level of the pressure to be output from the pressure-reducing valve are adjusted by compressing the spring in a predetermined length. Another feature is that the pressure of the gas to be supplied into the pressure- reducing valve is throttled to a lower level before it acts on the piston of the pressure-reducing valve. A further feature is that while the operation of the pressure-reducing valve is started and the pressure to be output is regulated by pressing the spring with the bottle, the pressure-reducing valve is tightened against the bottle. The invention has the advantage that the pressure output from the pressure-reducing valve does not depend on the level of the input pressure and that the output pressure can be adjusted by pressing with the bottle. Another advantage is that the regulating piston is only subjected to a low pressure. A further advantage is that the pressure-reducing valve is made to allow the passage of gas, to tighten against the bottle and to close by the mere insertion of the bottle in the correct position. Another advantage is that the invention has a simple construction and is easy to manufacture. The invention will be described in greater detail in the accompanying figure, which is a cross- section of the pressure-reducing valve according to the invention. The figure shows a pressure-reducing valve 1 in cross-section. The pressure-reducing valve 1 comprises a body 2 inside which there is a lower slide 3. The lower slide 3 comprises a projecting piston part 4 that is tightened against the body 2 with a piston packing 5. The lower slide 3 is encircled by an upper slide 6 in such a way that the lower slide 3 and the upper slide 6 can move axially relative to each other. The terms 'upper', 'lower' and 'bottom' refer in this connection to the relations of the devices and components positioned in the manner shown in the accompanying figure, and it is clear that these devices and components may also be in some other position, whereupon other kinds of terms may also be used to replace the aforementioned terms. A spring 7 is placed in such a way that its one end rests on the lower part of the upper slide 6 and the other end on the upper surface of the piston part 4 in the lower slide 3. The lower slide 3 and the upper slide 6 are sealed against each other with an upper seal 8 of the lower slide. At the upper end of the upper slide 6 there is an upper seal 9 for the upper slide. The section of the lower slide 3 extending below the piston part 4 is positioned inside a sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 is sealed against the body 2 with a sleeve packing 11. The lower slide 3 and the sleeve 10 are tightened together with an upper bottom seal 12 of the lower slide and with a lower bottom seal 13 of the lower slide. The sleeve 10 comprises at least one opening 14 passing through the sleeve. Below the piston part 4 of the lower slide 3, there is at least one opening 15 passing through the wall of the lower slide 3. Inside the lower slide 3 there is a conduit 16 extending axially through the entire length of the slide. At the lower end of the body 2, there is a hollow for fastening the pressure bottle. The sides of the hollow comprise threads for fastening the pressure-reducing valve 1 to the pressure bottle by means of a threaded joint. The edges of the pressure bottle aperture are then tightened against the body 2 with a seal 17 for the body. At the upper end of the body 2 there is a recess where the bottle 18 can be placed, the cap 19 of the bottle being positioned against the upper seal 9 of the upper slide. When the pressure-reducing valve 1 is used, it is screwed on the pressure bottle, whereupon the aperture of the bottle is sealed against the body 2 with the seal 17 of the body. The sleeve 10 simultaneously presses the needle valve of the pressure bottle, so that the pressurized gas inside the bottle can flow to the opening 14 of the sleeve. In the situation shown in the figure, the upper slide 6 is not subjected to any kind of force from above, whereupon the sleeve opening 14 is situated between the upper bottom seal 12 of the lower slide and the lower bottom seal 13 of the lower slide, and the seals prevent the flow of the pressurized gas from the sleeve opening 14 onwards. When the upper slide 6 is pressed with the bottle 18 and the cap 19 situated at the end of the bottle, the upper slide 6 further presses the lower slide 3 downwards by means of the spring 7. Since the sleeve opening 14 is perpendicular to the lower slide 3, the gas pressure in the sleeve opening 14 does not essentially affect the movement of the lower slide 3. When the lower slide 3 moves downwards such a distance that the upper bottom seal 12 of the lower slide is no longer located above the sleeve opening 14, the pressurized gas can flow through the sleeve opening 14 from between the lower slide 3 and the sleeve 10 via the lower slide opening 15 to the conduit 16. Further, the pressurized gas can simultaneously also flow to the space below the piston part 4. The clearance between the lower slide 3 and the sleeve 10 is of such magnitude that the pressurized gas can flow from between the components, but the clearance is so small, however, that it throttles the gas flow. If the upper slide 6 is continuously pressed with the bottle 18 and the cap 19 situated at the end of the bottle, the pressurized gas can flow from the sleeve opening 14 onwards. This continues until the pressure inside the bottle 18 and therefore also the pressure in the conduit 16, acting below the piston part 4 and lifting the piston against the spring 7 force, increases to such an extent that the lower slide 3 rises such a distance that the upper bottom seal 12 of the lower slide is lifted above the sleeve opening 14 and the flow from the sleeve opening 14 onwards is stopped. Since the gas flow is throttled before it reaches the space below the piston part 4, the pressure of the gas supplied to the pressure-reducing valve 1 does not affect the pressure of the output gas, but it is determined by the spring 7 force acting against the pressure prevailing below the piston part 4 and simultaneously against the output pressure. The flow is also naturally interrupted if the bottle 18 and the cap 19 are removed from pressing the upper slide 6. During the entire use of the pressure-reducing valve 1, the sleeve 10 is pressed against a shoulder of the body and it is therefore quite immobile. The sleeve 10 could be of an integral structure with the body 2, but in view of the manufacture, assembly and maintenance of the pressure-reducing valve 1, it is preferable that the sleeve 10 is a separate piece. In the pressure- reducing valve according to the figure, there is a drill taper 20 inside the sleeve. Providing the sleeve 10 with a drill taper 20 makes the manufacture of the sleeve 10 easier, but the drill taper 20 is not necessary for the operation of the pressure-reducing valve 1. The piston part 4 of the lower slide 3 rests on the shoulders of the body 2 in the uppermost position shown in the figure. The sleeve 10, the lower slide 3, the piston part 4 and the shoulders of the body 2 are positioned in such a way that the lower bottom seal 13 of the lower slide does not rise at all above the lower edge of the sleeve opening 14. The spring 7 is designed in such a way that when the upper slide 6 rests on the body 2 shoulder in the uppermost position shown in the figure, the spring 7 does not press the lower slide 3 downwards. The body 2, the lower slide 3, the upper slide 6 and the sleeve 10 are also positioned in such a way that they are coaxial and substantially rotation-symmetrical with respect to the axis. From the conduit 16, the pressurized gas flows forward through an aperture or a valve provided in the cap 19 to the bottle 18. The aperture of the cap 19 is preferably situated in the middle of the cap 19. The upper seal 9 of the upper slide is positioned around the aperture of the cap 19. The upper seal 9 of the upper slide prevents the gas from flowing between the upper slide 6 and the cap 19. The upper seal 9 of the upper slide can be designed in such a way that when the pressure inside the pressure-reducing valve 1 increases too high for some reason, gas can escape from between the upper seal 9 of the upper slide and the cap 19. However, in a normal situation the pressure of the gas flowing from the pressure-reducing valve 1 to the bottle 18 is determined by means of the force with which the upper slide 6 is pressed downwards. If the maximum force acting on the lower slide 3 is to be limited, a necessary number of, for example, separate washers 21 may be placed around the upper slide. In such a case, the bottle 18 and the cap 19 cannot be pressed all the way to the body 2, but only to the washer 21. The figure and the related description are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. The details of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore, for example the spring 7 may be replaced with some other similar member, such as a flexible rubber ring. Also, the pressure-reducing valve 1 may be arranged to be used in connection with pressure vessels other than those provided with a needle valve. With the pressure-reducing valve 1, the pressurized gas can also be supplied to some other container than a bottle provided with a cap.

Claims: Claims 1. A pressure-reducing valve for supplying pressurized gas into a bottle provided with a cap, the pressure-reducing valve (1) comprising a body (2), a piston part (4) , a spring (7), a flow conduit passing through the pressure-reducing valve ( 1 ), and a closing means that is arranged to throttle or prevent the gas flow through the pressure-reducing valve (1 ), the piston part (4) being placed inside the body (2) to move in relation to the body (2), the piston part (4) being acted upon on one side by a spring (7) force and on the opposite side by the pressure of the pressurized gas against the surface of the piston part (4), whereupon the piston part (4) is arranged to adjust the flow of the pressurized gas through the pressure-reducing valve ( 1 ) , and the spring (7 ) force determines the output pressure, and the pressure-reducing valve (1) comprises means for pressing the spring (7) axially against the piston part (4) so that the force acting on the spring (7 ) can be used to open the closing means and to allow the gas flow through the pressure-reducing valve, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pressure- reducing valve ( 1) comprises a throttle that is arranged to throttle the gas flow to be supplied into the pressure-reducing valve ( 1) before the pressure of the gas acts on the piston part (4). 2. A pressure-reducing valve according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pressure- reducing valve (1) comprises a lower slide (3) and a sleeve (10), the lower slide (3) being arranged to move in relation to the sleeve (10) in such a way that between the lower slide (3) and the sleeve (10) there is a clearance, whereupon the lower slide (3) and the sleeve ( 10) form a throttle that is arranged to throttle the flow of the pressurized gas before the pressure of the gas acts on the piston part (4). 3. A pressure-reducing valve according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sleeve (10) is arranged to press the needle of the valve in the pressure vessel when the pressure-reducing valve ( 1 ) is being fastened to a pressure vessel provided with a needle valve. 4. A pressure-reducing valve according to claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that inside the lower slide (3) there is a conduit (16) for supplying pressurized gas through the pressure-reducing valve (1) . 5. A pressure-reducing valve according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pressure-reducing valve (1 ) comprises a seal ( 9) that is arranged to seal the pressure-reducing valve (1) against the cap (19) when the spring (7) is pressed with the bottle (18) and the cap (19) thereof. 6. A pressure-reducing valve according to any one of claims 2 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the means for pressing the spring (7) comprise an upper slide (6) that is positioned around the lower slide (3) in such a way that when the upper slide (6) is pressed, it pushes the spring (7) against the piston part (4) . 7. A pressure-reducing valve according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the upper slide ( 6) comprises a seal (9 ) arranged to seal the upper slide (6) against the cap (19) when the upper slide (6) and the spring (7) are pressed with the bottle (18) and the cap (19) thereof. 8. A pressure-reducing valve according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least the body (2) and the piston part (4) are substantially rotation-symmetrical. 9. A pressure-reducing valve according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least the body (2) and the piston part (4) are coaxial.

Inventors: KIVINEN ARTO, KUHMONEN HARRI, KIVINEN, ARTO, KUHMONEN, HARRI
Applicants: KIVINEN ARTO, KUHMONEN HARRI, KIVINEN, ARTO, KUHMONEN, HARRI
Application year: 1996
Main classification: F17C13
IPC codes: F17C13, G05D16