Valves and valve actuation – With detachable actuator and means to prevent leakage when...
Patent
1999-05-03
2000-07-11
Shaver, Kevin
Valves and valve actuation
With detachable actuator and means to prevent leakage when...
251 636, 251291, F16K 31143
Patent
active
060860405
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a valve assembly of the type described in the preamble to claim 1.
BACKGROUND ART
Such a valve assembly is partly known from EP patent No. 0.177.620 relating to a pressure medium operated valve with an actuator mounted thereon, but without an actual control unit, the pressure medium connectors communicating directly with the actuator, whereby an elaborate net of pressure medium connectors are required.
The applicant of the present invention has previously used a valve assembly which also comprises a control unit secured to the end of the actuator facing away from the valve by means of screws.
In addition to the pressure medium passage the control unit often comprises solenoid valves with coherent electrical wires having control signals introduced into the control unit.
When a valve assembly is to be serviced it is often necessary to remove the other process equipment from the valve assembly. It is thus necessary to the disconnect the pressure medium supply and the electrical control signal wires. The pressure medium supply, which often is compressed air, is typically discontinued by dismounting and breaking off the hose, while the electrical signal is disconnected by dismounting the wires from a terminal board or by dismantling a plug.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to facilitate service of such valve assemblies.
This object is obtained by the valve assembly stated in the introduction being shaped in the manner described in the characterising part of claim 1.
The control unit with which the said process equipment, such as a pressure medium and electrical control signal wires, if any, are connected, is thus secured to the actuator by its coupling means engaging the coupling means of the actuator such that the this securing acts as a plug-in connection making it possible to separate the control unit from the actuator in a single grip. The process equipment is coherent with the control unit at the dismounting.
Moreover as stated in claim 1, the pressure medium connection communicates with the actuator by means of a branch/opening connection from the other end of the pressure medium passageway. Due to the non-rotational joining, a connection of this type can be performed quite simply by joining the control unit and the actuator in axial direction. Other embodiments of the connection may of course also be used for instance tubes fitting inside one another or openings in the control unit and in the actuator with sealing ring, e.g O-rings abutting one another. Such optional embodiments for axial joining connections are also covered by the invention.
As the control unit is not secured to the actuator by means of screws or the like, a reduced number of openings is used in the control unit in relation to prior art.
Finally as stated in claim 1, the control unit also comprises a valve member which is only open when the control unit is connected to the actuator. When the control unit is separated from the actuator the valve member automatically closes the pressure medium passage, whereby the dismounting of a hose from the first end of the pressure medium passage is rendered superfluous.
In short it is very easy to mount or dismount the control unit by means of the coupling means and at the dismounting to automatically discontinue the pressure medium supply, e.g compressed air, and re-establish this at the mounting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a side view of a valve assembly according to the invention, partly in section,
FIG. 2 illustrates the control unit of the valve assembly and the uppermost portion of the actuator, the head hereof partly in cross-section, and the control unit being dismounted from the actuator,
FIG. 3 illustrates the same as FIG. 2, the control unit however connected with the actuator,
FIG. 4 illustrates a section along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2,
FIG. 5 is a perspective and top view of a u
REFERENCES:
patent: 2438776 (1948-03-01), Boylan
patent: 2647538 (1953-08-01), Demay
patent: 3115330 (1963-12-01), Dollison
patent: 3789875 (1974-02-01), McGee
patent: 3993284 (1976-11-01), Lukens, Jr.
patent: 4018418 (1977-04-01), Dion-Biro
patent: 5429304 (1995-07-01), Tomita et al.
patent: 5560824 (1996-10-01), Sann et al.
patent: 5715864 (1998-02-01), Andel et al.
APV Fluid Handling Horsens A/S
Bonderer David A.
Shaver Kevin
LandOfFree
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