Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/4473211
Timestamp: 2020-01-20 18:35:13
Document Index: 436006650

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'arts 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'arts 3']

US Patent for Coupling with valve of the rotating ball type Patent (Patent # 4,473,211 issued September 25, 1984) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents US Patent for Coupling with valve of the rotating ball type Patent (Patent # 4,473,211)
The present invention relates to couplings for piping, in which a male coupling connector is engaged inside a female coupling connector, the engagement causing the opening of a valve which is provided in one at least of these connectors, the valve being of rotating ball type. In a valve of such type, a closure element, of generally spherical shape, is mounted in a coupling connector with its center in coincidence with the axis of the passage channel for the fluid to be controlled. This spherical closure element, which bears against a seat at the opening of the channel in the valve chamber, has a diametrical bore which, by appropriate means, can be brought into register with the fluid passage channel of the coupling for providing the opening of the valve, or be oriented at substantially 90.degree. to the channel for providing the closing of the valve.
The interest of valves of such type is that they allow the provision, in the opened position, of a passage of practically constant cross-section if the bore of the closure element has the same cross-section as the fluid passage channel in the coupling connector. Moreover, the passage cross-section is important relative to diameter since, if the spherical closure element rotates through 90.degree. , the diameter of the bore can reach ##EQU1## where d is the diameter of the spherical element and e the width of the arc of the seat support surface, meaning that when e is small, there is obtained with a good approximation a diameter of the bore equal to 0.7d-0.7e. However, with a seat support surface of reduced width, it is necessary to guide the spherical element so that its rotation plane passes through the passage axis and is perpendicular to the stud axis. If this were not the case, there would be a risk that the bore or the valve cap (i.e., the portion of the spherical element providing the closing of the passage) are not coincident with the seat, which would cause leakage. In order to remedy this situation, and as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,149, guiding means have to be provided, which fix the rotation axis of the spherical closure element. This leads to a complex construction, with the machining on the spherical closure element of secant faces parallel to its plane of rotation and on which are provided the axis stubs defining its axis of rotation, the support surfaces having moreover to be provided in guiding elements sliding in slides. These elements, situated laterally relative to the spherical closure element, increase the diametrical dimensions of the assembly forming the valve and therefore the diameter of the coupling. Moreover, automatism can be achieved only by using a return spring biasing the spherical closure element and the part carrying the seat against the interlocking thrust of the coupling connectors. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,149, this thrust is transmitted via the guiding elements of the axis stubs of the closure element or ball and in fact (due to the clearance necessary for the closure element to bear correctly against the seat), via the axis stubs, the ball and the seat. Therefore, the axis stubs are subjected to a high load per surface unit and to a corresponding wear.
The invention was made possible due to the fact that only a spherical (valve cap) portion of the closure element provides in fact the closure and that only a spherical area sector of about 180.degree. , hereafter called active spherical area sector, is displaced when in contact with the seat.
The shaft 5 has an axial bore 5a of the same cross-section as passage 1e. Its rear face 5b engages the bottom of socket 1a, i.e., at the inner end of the connector body 1, and is surrounded by a flange 5c which is clamped between the end face of jacket 1b and the bottom of socket 1a. The front face of flange 5c forms a support surface for spring 6. The shaft 5d as such is cylindrical but has at one end a radial flange 8, the two parallel side faces 8a of which are tangent to the outer cylindrical surface of shaft 5d. The rear edge 8b of the radial flange is chamfered in the shape of a sector area so as to permit a sufficient stroke for the shaft head in the spherical housing of the closure element without interfering with the wall of that housing. Likewise, the shaft is chamfered at 5e to enable rotation of the closure element. On the other hand, the shaft head carries an axis stub or pin 9 which is perpendicular to faces 8 and positioned so as to be locatable in the two 45.degree. diametrical planes of the spherical housing (i.e., the two diametrical planes of the spherical housing which intersect the common axis of bores 1e, 5a and 3b at 45.degree.)for the two extreme positions of the valve, viz. that where the seat-carrying part 3 is bearing against the inner shoulder 1f (FIG. 1) and that where it is forced back by engagement with the recessed end of the male coupling connector 2 (FIG. 2).
The spherical closure element 7 has a bore 7a of diametrical axis, the cross-section of which corresponds to that of passage 1e, and a chamber defined by an enlarged bore 7b (coaxial with bore 7a and corresponding to the outer diameter of shaft 5d) and by a cut with parallel faces 7c, the spacing between which is equal to the thickness of the radial flange 8 so that faces 8a can slide gently between faces 7c. The cut defined between faces 7c and the enlarged bore 7b are limited in extent substantially to the extent of penetration of shaft 5 inside the spherical closure element for the opened position of the valve shown in FIG. 2. A cut 7d along a diametrical plane at 45.degree. to the axis of bore 7a is formed in the spherical closure element, this cut 7d being perpendicular to the faces 7c and situated in the radial plane at 45.degree. close to the opening of bore 7a. The width of the cut 7d is substantially equal to the diameter of pin 9 and its depth is at least equal to the height of the spherical cap defined by the plane of the trajectory of pin 9 through the spherical housing formed by parts 3 and 4.
The operation of the described coupling is similar to that of rotating spherical cap devices of the same type, viz., starting from the uncoupled position shown in FIG. 1, the joining together of the coupling being provided by the engagement of the nose of male coupling connector 2 with the nose of the seat-carrying part 3, thereby pushing back the seat-carrying part 3 and the thrust ring 4 against the bias of spring 6. The spherical closure element 7 captured in the housing formed between the seat support part 3 and the thrust ring 4 also moves back, and the pin 9 which is fixed (since it is rigidly connected to the shaft 5) exerts a pressure against the front face of cut 7d, thereby effecting rotation of the spherical closure element until it reaches the position shown in FIG. 2, in which position the bores 3b, 7a, 5a and 1e are in alignment so as to form a straight passage of constant cross-section for the fluid. When uncoupling, the assembly formed by parts 3 and 4 and the closure element 7 is pushed in the opposite direction by spring 6, and pin 9 comes to bear against the rear face of cut 7d in order to rotate the closure element in the reverse direction through 90.degree., thereby bringing back a solid-spherical cap portion of the element 7 into register with the seat. The two movements are guided with accuracy due to the gentle sliding between faces 8a and 7c.
6. A coupling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaft head carries a fixed pin perpendicular to said faces, located so as to be in the two diametrical planes at 45.degree. of the spherical enclosure defined by said housing and said ring support surface for the two extreme positions of the valve, and the spherical closure element is formed with a cut along a diametrical plane at 45.degree. to the axis of said bore of said closure element, said cut being perpendicular to the said facing surfaces of said chamber and being situated in the radial plane at 45.degree. close to the opening of said bore of said closure element.
7. A coupling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaft head is formed with a slot or buttonhole substantially perpendicular to the axis of said shaft at the level of said flange and the spherical closure element comprises a fixed pin engaged into said slot or buttonhole and situated in the radial plane at 45.degree. close to the opening of said bore of said closure element.
3423063 January 1969 Germon
Patent number: 4473211
Inventor: Raoul Fremy (92330 Sceaux)
Application Number: 6/402,039
Current U.S. Class: 251/1492; 251/1496; 251/1497
International Classification: F16L 3702;