Abstract:
A manifold mounting system for electrically operated pneumatic control valves includes a push-on snap lock latching arrangement that is responsive to simple straight line connecting movement of the valve to the manifold. The system completely eliminates the need for end plates, screws, O-rings, gaskets and the like, and the simultaneous accommodation of a plug-in electrical connection also eliminates wiring connections. Manual push button release provides equally simple disconnection of the valve from the manifold.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention pertains to a system for mounting a plurality of fluid control valves to a common manifold and, more particularly, to a plug-in mounting system for pneumatic control valves that includes plug-in connection for both the pneumatic connections and the electrical connections.  
           [0002]    Manifolding for pneumatic control valves is well known and provides a convenient and cost effective method for supplying pneumatic pressure for the operation of multiple devices. The manifold will typically carry a stack of pneumatic valves mounted in side-by-side relation with the manifold having common air supply and exhaust air channels for all of the valves. The manifold may also include a common pilot pressure supply conduit. It is also known to provide the manifold with a common electric power supply line including individual electrical connections to each valve to supply operating power such as for the valve solenoids. One prior art pneumatic supply manifold for a valve stack assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,846.  
           [0003]    Prior art manifolding systems may still require the use of connecting end plates, screws, O-rings, gaskets and locking clips, all of which add to the complexity of mounting and demounting of valves to the manifold. The above-identified patent also discloses a collet construction for the inlet and outlet ports in a pneumatic valve that simplifies pneumatic connections, including connections to a manifold. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,222,715 and 6,016,838 show a unique pneumatic valve construction utilizing a half shell design in which two mirror image halves allow flow channels and internal component compartments to be molded in the shells into which the valve elements are inserted before the shells are ultrasonically welded together. This pneumatic valve construction provides substantially enhanced performance in a much smaller valve body. The inlet and outlet ports of this pneumatic valve also utilize the connecting collet construction described above to enhance connections to both a manifold and to the pneumatic lines from the valve to the pneumatic devices being operated.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    In accordance with the present invention, a manifold system, particularly adapted to utilize the prior art pneumatic valves described above, provides a unique push-on, plug-in connection and similar easy release that quickly makes both the pneumatic connections and the electrical connections to the manifold without the need for any tools whatsoever.  
           [0005]    The manifold mounting system of the present invention is particularly adapted for use with fluid control valves of the type that have an enclosing valve body, such as that using the above-identified half shell construction, which valve body includes a generally flat mounting face that defines fluid inlet and outlet openings. In a typical pneumatic valve, the fluid inlet and outlet openings accommodate the supply of pressurized air and the exhaust thereof respectively. The manifold comprises a manifold body that has an attachment face for a plurality of valve bodies, and the attachment face includes a plurality of face portions defining respective fluid inlet and outlet connector groups. Each connector group is adapted to make fluid connection to the fluid inlet and outlet openings in a valve mounting face of one valve body in response to relative connecting movement of the valve mounting face and the manifold face portion toward one another on a line generally perpendicular to the faces. The system includes a latching mechanism that is responsive to the connecting movement to complete the fluid connection and establish a locked position to lock the valve body to the manifold body in face-to-face relation. The latching mechanism is also responsive to manual deflection to unlock the valve body for disconnection and removal from the manifold.  
           [0006]    In a preferred embodiment, the latching mechanism comprises a latch plate that is slidably attached to the attachment face portion of the manifold and is moveable in the plane thereof between the locked position and an unlocking position. Locking detents on the latch plate are adapted to be received in slots in the valve body in the locked position, and a resilient biasing device operates to interconnect the latch plate and the manifold body to bias the latch plate toward the locked position. In the preferred embodiment, the manifold face portion includes a latch plate track having undercut holddown surfaces on opposite sides of the track that extend parallel to the line of slide plate movement, and the slide plate includes complementary angled side edge surfaces that are adapted to slidably engage the holddown surfaces in a dovetail connection.  
           [0007]    The latch plate locking detents comprise a pair of hook members that extend upwardly from opposite longitudinal ends of the latch plate, and the valve body includes a pair of locking recesses that are alignable with the hook members in the unlocking position of the latch plate in response to connecting movement, the hooks being moveable into locking engagement in the recesses in the valve body in response to biasing movement of the latch plate to the locked position. Preferably, the biasing device comprises a compression spring captured between one end of the latch plate and an end face of the manifold body. Either the hook members on the latch plate or the locking recesses in the valve body include inclined lead-in surfaces that are operative to impose a counter bias force on the biasing device in response to connecting movement to initially move the latch plate to the unlocking position.  
           [0008]    The fluid inlet and outlet connectors on the attachment face portions of the manifold body comprise integral tubular extensions that extend generally perpendicular to the face portions and are adapted to be received in the respective fluid inlet and outlet openings in the valve body mounting face. Preferably, the tubular extensions extend from the face portion farther than the locking detents to provide initial alignment of the valve body with the manifold face portion. The valve body mounting face also preferably includes a plug-in electrical connector, and the manifold attachment face portion includes a complementary contact slot for the electrical connector. A bus bar may be mounted inside the manifold body to provide electrical connections to the contact slots in the manifold face portions. The manifold body may also include a common fluid inlet and outlet section at one end of the body that provides a common fluid supply inlet, a common fluid exhaust outlet, and a common connector for the bus bar. The inlet and outlet connector groups in the manifold face portions each includes a supply connector, an exhaust connector and a pilot supply connector, and the manifold body common section includes a common pilot fluid supply inlet.  
           [0009]    Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.  
         [0011]    In the drawings:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the manifold and valve mounting arrangement of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a single pneumatic valve of one type intended for use with the manifold of the subject invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the FIG. 1 assembly with some of the valves removed.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4A is a detail of a portion of FIG. 4.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a left side elevation view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a section taken on line  6 - 6  of FIG. 3 with portions of the valve broken away.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the manifold with the enclosing cover plate removed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 shows a pneumatic fluid distribution and electrical connection manifold  10  for a plurality of pneumatic valves  11  which valves are attached to the manifold in a conventional stacked arrangement for convenience, to save space, and to reduce piping. The manifold  10  shown in FIG. 1 accommodates four pneumatic control valves  11  each of which is individually attached to the manifold. Of course, the manifold may be made to mount any number of valves. Referring also to FIG. 2, the valve  11  may be of the type described in the above-identified U.S. patents, comprising a valve body  12  made of two mirror image halves molded to optimally define the interior flow channels and component compartments, and into which the internal components are positioned before the halves are ultrasonically welded, creating a strong bond and hermetically sealed valve body that completely eliminates the need for fasteners, adhesives, gaskets and inserts. The particular valve  11  shown is a four way, two position double solenoid valve, but various other valve types using the same basic half shell construction may also be utilized and mixed in any manner on the manifold  10 .  
         [0021]    The valve body  12  has a mounting face  13  that includes an air inlet opening  14  and an exhaust outlet opening  15 . The mounting face  13  also includes a pilot air inlet opening  16  and a plug-in electrical connector  17 . The adjacent front face  18  of the valve body includes upper and lower air openings  20  and  21  which, based on the particular valve configuration and operation may comprise inlet and/or outlet ports. The front face  18  also includes a two position manual override switch  22  for the internal solenoids.  
         [0022]    The manifold body  23  has a generally flat upper attachment face  24  that includes a number of face portions  25  to which the valves  11  are attached at their respective mounting faces  13 . The upper attachment face  24  also includes a common mounting section  26  adjacent the face portions  25 . Each attachment face portion  25  includes three integral tubular extensions  27  adapted to be received in the openings  14 ,  15  and  16  in the valve body mounting face  13 . Within the valve  11 , internal O-ring seals surround and make sealing engagement with the upper ends of the extensions  27  when the valve body is in place. The tubular extensions  27  in each face portion  25  comprise a fluid connector group that includes an air supply connector  28 , an exhaust air connector  30 , and a pilot air connector  31 . The face portion  25  also includes a contact slot  32  for the plug-in electrical connector  17  on the mounting face of the valve.  
         [0023]    The upper face of the common mounting section  26  of the manifold body  23  includes a common exhaust outlet port  33  and a common pilot air inlet port  34 . A common air supply inlet port  35  is located in the front face  36  of the common mounting section  26 . A common electrical connector  37 , such as a conventional  15 -pin sub-D connector, is also mounted in the upper face of common mounting section  26 .  
         [0024]    Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, the interior of the manifold body  23  includes an air supply channel  38  connecting the common air supply inlet  35  to the air supply connectors  28 , an exhaust channel  40  connecting the common exhaust outlet  33  with the exhaust air connectors  30 , and a pilot air supply channel  41  connecting the common pilot air inlet  34  to the pilot air connectors  31 . A bus bar  42  is also mounted along the interior of the manifold, extending generally parallel to the channels  38 ,  40  and  41 , to provide electrical interconnection between the contact slots  32  and the common connector  37 .  
         [0025]    Each of the pneumatic valves  11  is individually attached to the manifold  10  with a simple, straight push-on movement that automatically establishes all of the air connections to and from the manifold as well as the electrical connection to operate the valve solenoid(s). The latching mechanism includes a spring-biased latch plate  43  that is slidably attached to each face portion  25  in the upper face of the manifold body  23 . Referring also to FIGS.  3 - 5 , the latch plate  43  lies in and slides along a slot  44  in the mounting face portion  25  of the manifold. Each slot  44  is defined by opposite edge surfaces  45  which, as best seen in FIG. 5, are undercut to define downwardly divergent holddown surfaces  46 . The latch plate body  47  includes parallel edge members  48  that define an open center  50  and are interconnected at their opposite ends by a pair of upstanding hook members comprising a front hook member  51  and a rear hook member  52 . Adjacent the front hook member  51  is an integral downwardly depending face button  53 . The latch plate edge members  48  are provided with angled side edge surfaces  54  that are also downwardly divergent and complementary to the holddown surfaces  46  of the latch plate edge surfaces  45 . The latch plate  43  thus may be inserted into the slot  44  in the manifold face portion in a dovetail fashion so that it may slide in a direction of the edge members but be retained against displacement from the slot in a direction perpendicular to the face. Further, latch plate body  47  has a thickness equal to the depth of the slot  44  such that the raised edge surfaces  45  and the upper surface of the latch plate body  47  are coplanar and together define the face portion  25  against which the mounting face  13  of the valve body is received. The open center  50  of the latch plate body accommodates the tubular extensions from the manifold, including air supply connector  28 , exhaust air connector  30  and pilot air connector  31 , as well as access to the electrical contact slot  32 .  
         [0026]    As best seen in FIG. 6, the latch plate face button  53  is of generally rectangular shape and sits in a rectangular recess  55  in the front face  36  of the manifold body  12 . A compression spring  56  is captured at one end in a blind bore  57  in wall of the recess  55  and at the opposite end on a cylindrical protrusion  58  on the backside of the face button  53 . The compression spring  56  biases the latch plate  43  toward a locking position, the limit of which is defined by a pair of inner edge barbs  60  on the inside edges of the side edge surfaces  54  of the latch plate, which edge barbs engage opposite lateral ends of an abutment surface  61  defined by a slightly raised surface portion  62  surrounding the upstanding exhaust air connector  30  in the face of the manifold. Preferably, the upstanding air supply connector  28  and pilot air connector  31  are also connected by a second raised surface portion  63 . Both the first and second raised surface portions  62  and  63  have upper surfaces that are coplanar with the edge surfaces  45  of the slot and the upper surface of the latch plate edge members  48 . Further, the side edges of the surface portions  62  and  63  help retain the latch plate side edge surfaces  54  in sliding engagement with the undercut edge surfaces  45  of the slot  44 .  
         [0027]    The front and rear hook members  51  and  52  on the latch plate  43  act as spring-biased locking detents to lock and hold the valve  11  in operative position on the manifold. The valve body  12  is provided with a front locking recess  64  formed in the mounting face  13  adjacent the exhaust outlet opening  15 . The recess  64  includes an internal contact surface  65  that is engaged by a complementary hook contact surface  66 . A rear locking recess  67  is formed in the rear face  68  of the valve body  12  immediately above the rear end of the mounting face  13 . The rear locking recess also includes an internal contact surface  70  that is adapted to be engaged by a complementary hook contact surface  71  on the underside of the rear hook member  52 . As indicated above, the latch plate biasing spring  56  biases the latch plate to the locking position. Each of the front and rear hook members  51  and  52  is provided with a downwardly sloping lead-in surface  72 . When it is desired to attach a valve  11  to the manifold  10 , the valve is oriented with its mounting face  13  generally parallel to and aligned with a face portion  25  of the manifold defining the position in which the valve is desired to be mounted. Mounting is accomplished by a simple straight downward movement of the valve on a line perpendicular to the respective faces  13  and  25 . Initially, the upstanding tubular extensions  27  provide a guiding or piloting function as the valve is moved toward the manifold. Then contact is made between the forward edge of the front locking recess  64  and the lead-in surface  72  of the front hook member  51  and, simultaneously, the rear corner edge  73  of the valve body with the lead-in surface  72  of the rear hook member  52 . Downward connecting movement of the valve body and the respective front and rear lead in surfaces  72  causes the latch plate  43  to slide against the bias of the compression spring  56  toward the unlocking position until the respective hook contact surfaces  66  and  71  override the respective interal contact surfaces  65  and  70  of the locking recesses, whereupon the hooks snap into locking contact in the recesses under the influence of the bias spring. This connecting movement also causes the plug-in electrical connector  17  be received in the contact slot  32  in the manifold mounting face portion  25 . Instead of having the lead-in surfaces  72  on the hook members  51  and  52 , they could as well be formed on the forward edge of the front locking recess  64  and on the rear corner edge  73  of the valve body. To release and remove the valve  11  from the manifold  10 , the operator simply pushes the face button  53  against the bias of the spring  56  until the button bottoms in the rectangular recess  55 , whereupon the hooks are clear of the locking recesses  64  and  67 , and the valve can be lifted directly from the manifold.  
         [0028]    The air flow openings  20  and  21  in the front face  18  of the valve are preferably provided with push-in collets  74  of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,715. These collets are adapted to receive and secure the end of a plastic air flow tube for connection to the device being operated. It should be noted that with the manifold mounting arrangement of the present invention, the air supply and exhaust openings  14 ,  15  and  16  in the mounting face  13  of the valve do not require the use of push-in collets  74 . Instead, the tubular extensions  27  in the manifold mounting face include a stepped construction that accommodates for the openings which are sized for the use of collets if the valve is used in another kind of mounting system.  
         [0029]    Referring again to FIG. 7, the open underside of the manifold body  23  is enclosed with a flat rectangular cover plate  78  (shown in FIG. 6) ultrasonically welded or otherwise heat sealed to the manifold body to completely seal and isolate all of the air channels  38 ,  40  and  41 . The housing also includes internal bosses  75  for the attachment of manifold mounting brackets or clips, such as a DIN rail clip  80 . External bosses  76  and complementary slots  77  permit end-to-end interconnection of multiple manifolds  10 .