Fluid handling – With casing – support – protector or static constructional... – Guards and shields
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-03
2001-04-17
Lee, Kevin (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With casing, support, protector or static constructional...
Guards and shields
C137S382000, C251S090000, C251S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216725
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a fluid pressure control device with a cover for preventing misoperation such that a cover for preventing misoperation is attached to an operating piece for manual operation in the fluid pressure control device.
DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND ART
For example, a solenoid-controlled valve for switching a passage of compressed air is usually provided with a manual operation mechanism so that the switching operation can be performed manually in the event of an emergency such as service interruption. The manual operation mechanism has generally one or a plurality of plunger-type operating pieces. By pushing the operating piece, the solenoid-controlled valve is switched.
The operating piece is provided either in a state where it is recessed in the body of a valve or in a state where it is projected to the outside. In the former case, since the operating piece is recessed, there is an inconvenience such that the switching operation has to be performed by using a tool such as a driver. Recently, therefore, the operating piece is often provided in a projected state as the latter case.
When the operating piece is provided in a projected state, although the switching operation can be performed easily by only a finger without using a tool, the operating piece is inadvertently pressed by being touched by a hand or other foreign matter and misoperation is easily caused.
It is therefore necessary to take a measure by attaching, for example, a safety cover to the operating piece. Since the operating piece is small, the safety cover is naturally small and a work to attach or detach the safety cover is not easily. Especially, the cover is requested to be securely retained by the operating piece and not to be easily detached due to vibration or the like when it is attached to the operating piece. It is also requested to be easily attached or detached only by fingers at the time of attachment and detachment. It is also requested that the cover detached is not lost in the case such that the cover is detached and the operating piece is manually operated. A solenoid-controlled valve having a cover which can satisfy all of the requests is not conventionally known.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is a technical object of the invention to provide a fluid pressure control device such as a solenoid-controlled valve having a manual operation mechanism in which a cover for preventing misoperation attached to an operating piece for manual operation can be easily and certainly attached/detached to/from the operating piece and is not lost even when it is detached.
In order to achieve the subject, in the invention, at least one retaining groove is formed on the outer face of a plunger-type operating piece in a manual operation mechanism. A cover attached to the operating piece has: a cylindrical shape with a transparent opening through which the top of the operating piece is seen at the top of the operating piece; a hook resiliently retained by the retaining groove of the operating piece on the inside of the cylinder; and a string-shaped connecting member which is provided on the outer part of the cylinder for preventing the cover from being lost with the tip of the connecting member connected to the operating piece. The height of the cover is set to be equal to or higher than that of the operating piece in a non-operating position.
In the invention having the configuration, when the cover is fit on the operating piece in a state where the tip of the connecting member is connected to the operating piece, the hook is resiliently retained by the retaining groove on the outer face of the operating piece. Consequently, the cover can be easily and securely attached without being detached due to vibration or the like. Since the height of the cover is set to be equal to or higher than that of the operating piece in a non-operating position, the operating piece is recessed in the cover and is not projected to the outside. Even when a hand or other matter touches the cover, the operating piece is not therefore inadvertently switched.
At the time of operating the operating piece, the cover is detached. In this case, when the cover is pulled out with fingers from the operating piece, the hook is resiliently detached from the retaining groove, so that the cover can be easily detached. Since the cover is connected to the operating piece by the connecting member, even when the cover is detached from the operating piece, it is not dropped in a narrow gap around the device or lost.
According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the hook of the cover is formed at the tip of each of a plurality of resilient members extending from the top of the cover to the proximal part.
The connecting member is extended from the top of the cover and has a retaining part which is retained/detached to/from the operating piece at the tip. A notch into which the connecting member is fit in a state where the cover is attached to the operating piece is formed at the proximal periphery of the cover.
It is desirable that finger catching projections which facilitate the pinching of a cover at the time of attachment/detachment are formed on the outer face of the cover.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the operating piece can be locked in a pushed position and has upper and lower retaining grooves on its outer face, thereby enabling the cover to attached so as to be retained in both of the operating position and the non-operating position.
According to further another embodiment of the invention, a plurality of operating pieces are mounted on a fluid pressure control device so as to be close to each other and a plurality of covers corresponding to the operating pieces are integrally formed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4253488 (1981-03-01), Leverberg
patent: 5417247 (1995-05-01), Tarui et al.
patent: 6155287 (2000-12-01), Matarai et al.
Aso Yoshio
Ishikawa Makoto
Matarai Yukihiro
Lee Kevin
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
SMC Corporation
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