Valve

Fluid handling – Systems – Sequentially progressive opening or closing of plural valves

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C138S097000, C138S097000, C251S129190

Reexamination Certificate

active

06748977

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a valve, and in particular, to a safety valve which is particularly suitable though not limited to use as a safety valve for controlling the flow of fuel gas to a gas powered appliance, though not limited to such use.
Safety valves which are typically used for controlling the supply of fuel gas to a gas powered appliance, for example, a gas powered heater, a gas powered oven, a gas powered hob or the like, typically comprise a solenoid type operated valve. Such valves comprise a valve housing which define a hollow interior valve chamber. An inlet port is provided to the valve chamber, while an outlet port is provided from the valve chamber. A valve seat is formed within the valve chamber between the inlet and the outlet ports, and defines a communicating passageway between the respective inlet and outlet ports. A valving member located within the valve chamber co-operates with the valve seat for closing the communicating passageway for in turn closing the valve. A solenoid coil co-operable with the valving member when energised urges the valving member out of engagement with the valve seat for opening the communicating passageway for opening the valve. An urging means, typically, a compression spring urges the valving member into engagement with the valve seat when power is removed from the solenoid coil. For safety reasons in general two such solenoid valves are normally located in series in a fuel gas pipeline so that should one of the solenoid valves fail to operate for isolating the gas powered appliance from the fuel gas supply, at least one of the solenoid valves should operate.
In general, the valving member is rigidly secured to a magnetic body of the solenoid coil, so that variation in the intensity of the magnetic field generated by the solenoid coil causes the magnetic body to move and in turn the valving member for opening and closing of the valve. In general, the valving member is spring urged into the closed position, and thus, in order to retain the valve open power must be continuously supplied to the solenoid for so long as it is desired to retain the valve open. Furthermore, the magnetic field generated by the solenoid coil must be of sufficient strength to hold the valving member open against the action of the compression spring which acts to urge the valving member into engagement with the valve seat. This, in general, requires a relatively high current through the solenoid coil which leads to heating of the valve as a result of power dissipation from the solenoid coil which may be as high as 4 watts to 5 watts and in many cases even more. Additionally, such solenoid valves tend to be relatively noisy as the valving member is urged between its open and closed positions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve, and in particular to a provide a safety valve which is particularly suitable for use for fuel gas which overcomes the problems of known types of valves. Although it is also an object of the present invention to provide a valve for other uses which overcomes the problems of known valves.
The present invention is directed towards providing such a valve.
According to the invention there is provided a valve comprising a valve housing defining a valve chamber, the valve chamber forming an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, a primary valve seat separating the inlet chamber from the outlet chamber and defining a primary communicating passageway communicating the inlet chamber with the outlet chamber, a primary valving member in the valve chamber co-operating with the primary valve seat for selectively closing the primary communicating passageway for isolating the outlet chamber from the inlet chamber, and a drive means for urging the primary valving member out of engagement with the primary valve seat for opening the primary communicating passageway for communicating the respective inlet and outlet chambers, wherein the drive means is releasably magnetically coupled to the primary valving member for urging the primary valving member out of engagement with the primary valve seat, the drive means and the primary valving member being selectively decoupleable, and a first urging means is provided for urging the primary valving member into engagement with the primary valve seat when the primary valving member is decoupled from the drive means.
In one embodiment of the invention a secondary valve seat is located in the outlet chamber downstream of the primary valve seat, the secondary valve seat dividing the outlet chamber into an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber and defining a secondary communicating passageway communicating the downstream chamber with the upstream chamber, and a secondary valving member is provided in the outlet chamber co-operating with the secondary valve seat for closing the secondary communicating passageway for isolating the downstream chamber from the upstream chamber, the secondary valving member being releasably magnetically coupled with the drive means and being urgeable by the drive means out of engagement with the secondary valve seat for opening the secondary communicating passageway for communicating the downstream chamber with the upstream chamber when the secondary valving member is magnetically coupled to the drive means.
In another embodiment of the invention the secondary valving member is selectively decoupleable from the drive means, and a second urging means is provided for urging the secondary valving member into engagement with the secondary valve seat when the secondary valving member is decoupled from the drive means.
In a further embodiment of the invention the secondary valving member is magnetically coupled to the drive means through the primary valving member.
In one embodiment of the invention the secondary valving member is releasably magnetically coupled to the primary valving member.
In another embodiment of the invention the secondary valving member is selectively decoupleable from the primary valving member. Preferably, the secondary valving member is selectively decoupleable from the primary valving member independently of decoupling of the primary valving member from the drive means.
Preferably, the primary and secondary valving members are sequentially urged out of engagement with the respective primary and secondary valving seats by the drive means when the respective primary and secondary valving members are magnetically coupled to the drive means.
Advantageously, the primary valving member is urged out of engagement with the primary valve seat before the secondary valving member is urged out of engagement with the secondary valve seat. Advantageously, the primary valving member is carried on a main carrier member, and the drive means is co-operable with a first secondary carrier member, the first secondary carrier member forming with the main carrier member a magnetic circuit, and a first magnetic field generating means is provided for selectively generating a magnetic field for selectively coupling the main carrier member and the first secondary carrier member.
In one embodiment of the invention a second secondary carrier member is provided for carrying the secondary valving member, the second secondary carrier member forming a magnetic circuit with the main carrier member for facilitating releasable magnetic coupling of the second secondary carrier member with the main carrier member.
In another embodiment of the invention a second magnetic field generating means is provided for selectively magnetically coupling the second secondary carrier member with the main carrier member independently of the magnetic coupling of the main carrier member with the first secondary carrier member.
Preferably, the second urging means acts between the main carrier member and the second secondary carrier member, and advantageously, the secondary valving member is resiliently mounted to the second secondary carrier member for facilitating relative movement between the second secondary carrier me

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