Patent ID: 8286663

Claim:
A rotary valve for selectively connecting at least one component ( 51 , 52 ) into a fluid path, the valve comprising a stator ( 111 , 211 ) and a rotor ( 112 , 212 ), said stator ( 111 , 211 ) comprising a number of connection ports protruding into the stator and each ending in an orifice on an inner stator face ( 111 a , 211 a ), which is a face of the stator making contact in a fluid tight manner with an inner rotor face ( 112 a , 212 a ) of the rotor ( 112 , 212 ), said inner rotor face ( 112 a , 212 a ) being rotatably movable around a rotational axis (RA) relative to the inner stator face ( 111 a , 211 a ), wherein said inner stator face ( 111 a , 211 a ) comprises: a first orifice ( 131 b , 231 b ) communicating with a first inlet port ( 131 a ) of the stator, said first orifice ( 131 b , 231 b ) being positioned essentially centrally in the inner stator face ( 111 a , 211 a ), which center coincides essentially with the rotary axis (RA) of the valve, a second orifice ( 132 b , 232 b ) communicating with a second port ( 132 a ), being an outlet port of the stator, a third orifice ( 133 b , 233 b ) communicating with a third port ( 133 a ) for a first fluid connection with a first component ( 51 ), a fourth orifice ( 134 b , 234 b ) communicating with a fourth port ( 134 a ) for a second fluid connection with the first component ( 51 ), a fifth orifice ( 135 b , 235 b ) communicating with a fifth port ( 135 a ) for a first fluid connection with a second component ( 52 ), a sixth orifice ( 136 b , 236 b ) communicating with a sixth port ( 136 a ) for a second fluid connection with the second component ( 52 ), a generally tangentially extending stator groove ( 138 , 238 ) wherein said second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth orifices ( 132 b - 136 b , 232 b - 236 b ) and said stator groove ( 138 , 238 ) are distributed substantially on a circle around the center of the inner stator face ( 111 a , 211 a ), said circle having a radius (R), and further wherein said inner rotor face ( 112 a , 212 a ) comprises at least a first groove ( 121 , 221 ), a second groove ( 122 , 222 ), and a third groove ( 123 , 223 ) so arranged that, in a first rotary position of the rotor the first groove ( 121 , 221 ) connects the first orifice ( 131 b , 231 b ) with the second orifice ( 132 b , 232 b ); in a second rotary position of the rotor the first groove ( 121 , 221 ) connects the first orifice ( 131 b , 231 b ) with the third orifice ( 133 b , 233 b ) via the stator groove ( 138 , 238 ), and the third groove ( 123 , 223 ) connects the fourth orifice ( 134 b , 234 b ) with the second orifice ( 132 b , 232 b ); and in a third rotary position of the rotor the first groove ( 121 , 221 ) connects the first orifice ( 131 b , 231 b ) with the third orifice ( 133 b , 233 b ), the second groove ( 122 , 222 ) connects the fourth orifice ( 134 b , 234 b ) with the fifth orifice ( 135 b , 235 b ), and the third groove ( 123 , 223 ) connects the sixth orifice ( 136 b , 236 b ) with the second orifice ( 132 b , 232 b ).