JP2021055782A - Constant flow valve - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a constant flow valve which can control a deformation volume of a valve body according to a pressure of a fluid easily and which can control a flow rate corresponding to the pressure of the fluid in a wide range from a lower pressure to a high pressure to be constant.SOLUTION: A constant flow valve includes: a valve body 6 disposed in a fluid passage 4 and formed by an elastic body; and a valve support 7 having a seating surface 9 for supporting the valve body 6. The valve body 6 has: a pressure receiving surface 6a facing the passage 4; and a support surface 6b located at the opposite side of the pressure receiving surface 6a and supported by the seating surface 9. A groove 14 facing a part of the support surface 6b of the valve body 6 is formed on the seating surface 9 of the valve support 7. One end of the groove 14 communicates with an inflow port 10 formed at the valve support 7 and the other end of the groove 14 communicates with an outflow port 13 formed at the valve support 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a constant flow valve provided in a water supply pipeline such as a toilet and capable of supplying a fluid at a constant flow rate regardless of fluctuations in the pressure of water, that is, the fluid.

Patent Document 1 describes a constant flow rate valve whose valve body is a coiled spring that expands and contracts in response to pressure fluctuations of a fluid. In this constant flow valve, when the fluid pressure increases, the coiled spring contracts and the winding gap narrows, resulting in a decrease in flow rate. When the fluid pressure decreases, the coiled spring expands and the winding gap As a result of the increase in the flow rate, the flow rate flowing through the constant flow valve becomes constant regardless of the pressure fluctuation.

In Patent Document 2, a disc-shaped valve body made of an elastic material such as rubber and having a valve port formed by a circular hole in the center is supported on the valve box, and a fluid flows through the valve port of the valve body. A constant flow valve is described so that it can pass through. In this constant flow rate valve, when the pressure of the liquid increases, the valve body bends, the opening degree of the valve opening narrows, and the flow rate is adjusted.

However, with the constant flow valve of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to adjust the amount of expansion and contraction with respect to the pressure of the fluid of the coiled spring which is the valve body, and even with the constant flow valve of Patent Document 2, the pressure of the fluid of the valve body made of rubber. There was a problem that it was difficult to adjust the amount of deformation with respect to.

Patent Document 3 describes a support member composed of a valve body arranged with a gap with respect to the inner diameter of the pipe and an elastic body such as rubber that elastically supports the valve body and has a flow path near the center. A constant flow valve with and is described. In this constant flow valve, a recess is provided on the contact surface between the valve body and the support member, and the recess forms a throttle flow path for communicating the outer peripheral surface of the valve body and the flow path of the support member. When the pressure of the water supply source rises, a part of the support member made of an elastic body is deformed and enters the recessed portion, and the flow path area of the throttle flow path is reduced, so that the flow path is controlled to be constant. It is said that.

However, in the constant flow valve of Patent Document 3, when the pressure of the fluid acts on the valve body, a part of the support member is deformed and enters the recessed portion due to the force that the valve body presses against the support member of the elastic body. , Changes in fluid pressure do not directly affect the deformation of the support member. It is suitable for the low pressure region where the flow rate is low, but not suitable for the high pressure region where the flow rate is high.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-235470 Jikkenhei No. 3-4984 Japanese Patent No. 4348972

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a constant flow rate valve capable of easily adjusting the amount of deformation of the valve body with respect to the pressure of a fluid. Another object of the present invention is to provide a constant flow rate valve capable of constantly controlling the flow rate of a fluid with respect to a wide range of pressures from low pressure to high pressure.

In order to solve the above problem, the first means is
A valve body made of an elastic body, which is arranged in the fluid flow path,
A constant flow rate valve including a valve support having a seating surface for supporting the valve body.
The valve body has a pressure receiving surface facing the flow path and a supporting surface opposite to the pressure receiving surface and supported by the seat surface.
A groove is formed on the seat surface of the valve support so as to face a part of the support surface of the valve body.
One end of the groove communicates with the inflow port formed in the valve support, and the other end of the groove communicates with the outlet formed in the valve support.

The pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path of the valve housing acts on the pressure receiving surface of the valve body. The valve body is supported by the seat surface of the valve support, but bends and deforms toward the groove formed in a part of the seat surface in response to the pressure of the fluid acting on the pressure receiving surface. As a result, the cross section of the groove changes, and the flow rate of the fluid flowing into the groove from the inflow port changes. By changing the width of the groove, the amount of deformation of the valve body with respect to the pressure of the fluid can be adjusted.

In the second means
The valve support is a columnar shape having a diameter smaller than that of the wall surface of the flow path.
A recess for accommodating the valve body is formed on the upstream end surface of the valve support located on the upstream side of the flow path, and the seat surface is formed on the bottom of the recess.
The outlet is formed on the downstream end surface of the valve support located on the downstream side of the flow path.
The inflow port is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve support.

In the third means
The groove extends in the radial direction of the valve support and
The outlet communicates with the groove through an outflow path extending in the axial direction of the valve support.

In the fourth means, the valve support is supported on the wall surface of the flow path at the outer peripheral portion of the downstream end surface.

In the fifth means, the cross-sectional area of the outlet is larger than the cross-sectional area of the inlet.

In the sixth means, a plurality of the grooves are formed on the seat surface of the valve support, and the plurality of grooves have different groove widths.

In the seventh means, the depth of the groove having the smallest width among the plurality of grooves is formed deeper than the depth of the other grooves.

According to the present invention, the amount of deformation of the valve body with respect to the pressure of the fluid can be easily adjusted only by changing the width of the groove. Further, by providing a plurality of grooves having different groove widths, there is an effect that the flow rate of the fluid with respect to a wide range of pressures from low pressure to high pressure can be controlled to be constant.

The plan view of the constant flow rate valve which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the constant flow valve of FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of the constant flow valve of FIG. The cross-sectional view which shows the modification of the shape of the groove of a constant flow valve. Top view of the valve support. Front view of the valve support. Bottom view of the valve support. Left side view of the valve support. A graph showing the relationship between the fluid pressure and the cross-sectional area of the valve body entering the groove. The plan view of the constant flow rate valve which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of the constant flow valve of FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of the constant flow valve of FIG. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of the constant flow valve of FIG. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of the constant flow valve of FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XV-XV of the constant flow valve of FIG. Top view of the valve support. Front view of the valve support. Bottom view of the valve support. Left side view of the valve support. Right side view of the valve support. A graph (a) showing the relationship between the fluid pressure and the flow rate in the constant flow valve of the first embodiment, and a graph (b) showing the relationship between the fluid pressure and the flow rate in the constant flow valve of the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
1 and 2 show a constant flow valve 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The constant flow rate valve 1 is fixed inside a valve housing 2 arranged in the middle of a pipe between a water supply source and a supply destination (not shown). Male screws 3 are formed at both ends of the valve housing 2 so that they can be connected to a pipe between the water supply source and the supply destination. Inside the valve housing 2, a flow path 4 flowing in the direction of the arrow is formed. Further, a step portion 5 for supporting the constant flow rate valve 1 is formed on the inner surface of the valve housing 2.

The constant flow rate valve 1 includes a valve body 6 and a valve support 7. The constant flow rate valve 1 may be referred to as a constant flow rate valve 1 including the valve housing 2.

The valve body 6 is a highly elastic body made of a polymer compound such as ethylene, propylene, and diene rubber (EPDM). The valve body 6 has a disk shape and has a circular pressure receiving surface 6a facing the upstream side of the flow path 4, a circular support surface 6b opposite to the pressure receiving surface 6a, and an outer peripheral surface 6c.

The valve support 7 has a columnar diameter smaller than the wall surface of the flow path 4, and has an upstream end surface 7a located on the upstream side of the flow path 4 and a downstream end surface 7b located on the downstream side of the flow path 4. It has an outer peripheral surface 7c facing the wall surface of the road 4. As shown in FIG. 5, a circular recess 8 for accommodating the valve body 6 is formed on the upstream end surface 7a of the valve support body 7, and a seat for supporting the support surface 6b of the valve body 6 is formed on the bottom of the recess 8. The surface 9 is formed. As shown in FIG. 8, a substantially crescent-shaped inflow port 10 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 7c of the valve support 7, and an outer peripheral groove 12 in which the O-ring 11 is accommodated is formed. As shown in FIG. 7, a rectangular outlet 13 is formed on the downstream end surface 7b of the valve support 7.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a groove 14 is formed in the seat surface 9 of the valve support body 7 so as to face a part of the support surface 6b of the valve body 6. The groove 14 extends in the radial direction from the outer peripheral portion of the seat surface 9 of the valve support 7 to the substantially central portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the groove 14 has a curved shape that resembles the shape of the valve body 6 when the valve body 6 is deformed and enters the groove 14. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the groove 14 on the outer side in the radial direction communicates with the inflow port 10, and the other end on the inner side in the radial direction of the groove 14 has an outflow path 15 extending in the axial direction of the valve support 7. It communicates with the outlet 13 through the outlet 13.

The inflow port 10 of the valve support 7 has a cross-sectional area equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the groove 14. The outflow passage 15 has substantially the same width as the width of the groove 14, and has a cross-sectional area equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the groove 14. The outlet 13 has a cross-sectional area equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the outflow passage 15.

The valve body 6 may be adhered to the seat surface 9 of the valve support 7 or may be screwed. Alternatively, it may be prevented from coming off by a pin inserted into the outer peripheral edge of the recess 8 of the valve support 7.

The valve support 7 is supported by the step portion 5 of the flow path 4 at the outer peripheral edge of the downstream end face 7b so that the upstream end face 7a faces the upstream side of the flow path. The valve support 7 is sealed to the wall surface of the flow path 4 via an O-ring 11 mounted on the outer peripheral groove 7c. A gap is formed between the valve support 7 and the wall surface of the flow path 4, and the gap forms an external flow path 16 of the valve support 7.

Next, the operation of the constant flow valve 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 2, the fluid (water in this embodiment) flowing from the water supply source to the flow path 4 of the valve housing 2 hits the pressure receiving surface 6a of the valve body 6 and hits the inner wall surface of the valve housing 2 and the valve support 7. It flows through the external flow path 16 in the gap between the outer peripheral surface 7c and the valve support 7, passes through the groove 14 and the outflow path 15, and goes from the outflow port 13 to the downstream side of the valve housing 2. It flows and is supplied to a supply destination (not shown).

When the pressure of the fluid in the valve housing 2 rises, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 2 and 3, the portion of the valve body 6 facing the groove 14 not supported by the support surface 6b becomes the valve body 6 It bends and deforms toward the groove 14 according to the pressure of the fluid acting on the pressure receiving surface 6a. As a result, the cross section of the groove 14 changes, and the flow rate of the fluid flowing into the groove 14 from the inflow port 10 changes.

Since a part of the valve body 6 enters the groove 14 and narrows the flow path, the portion of the groove 14 can be regarded as an orifice. Therefore, the flow rate flowing through the constant flow rate valve 1 can be calculated by the following flow rate calculation formula for the orifice.

Q = CA√ (2P / ρ)
Here, each symbol indicates the following contents.
Q: Flow rate (m ³ / sec)
C: Flow coefficient A: Flow path area (m ² )
P: Fluid pressure (Pa)
ρ: Fluid density (kg / m ³ )

The flow path area A can be calculated by the following equation.

A = Avalve-Arubber
Here, each symbol indicates the following contents.
Avalve: Groove channel cross-sectional area (m ² )
Arubber: Cross-sectional area of the valve body that has entered the groove (m ² )

In FIG. 9, the cross-sectional area Arubber of the valve body 6 that has entered the groove 14 when the width W of the groove 14 and the fluid pressure P are changed is obtained by computer simulation, and the fluid pressure P is obtained for each width W of the groove 14. It shows the change of the cross-sectional area A of the valve body 6 with respect to. From FIG. 9, the following can be seen. When the width W of the groove 14 is large (W = 10 mm, 9 mm), when the fluid pressure P exceeds a certain level, the valve body 6 comes into contact with the bottom of the groove 14, so that the cross-sectional area A of the valve body 6 does not change. Further, when the width W of the groove 14 is small (W = 1 mm, 2 mm), the bending of the valve body 6 is small even if the fluid pressure P increases, so that the cross-sectional area A of the valve body 6 hardly changes. Therefore, by changing the width of the groove 14, the amount of deformation of the valve body 6 with respect to the pressure of the fluid can be adjusted, and the flow rate flowing through the constant flow rate valve 1 can be controlled.

When the valve body 6 completely abuts on the bottom of the groove 14, the flow of fluid is blocked, so that the surface of the valve body 6 and the bottom of the groove 14 are bent to ensure the minimum flow rate. As shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom of the groove 14 is flattened so that a gap is formed between the two, and a gap is formed between both ends of the valve body 6 having less bending and both sides of the bottom of the groove 14. It is preferable that the groove 14 is formed so that the groove 14 is formed, or that the bottom surface of the groove 14 is deepened so that the bent valve body 6 does not hit the groove 14.

<Second Embodiment>
10, 11, and 12 show the constant flow valve 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the constant flow rate valve 21, as shown in FIG. 16, three grooves having different groove widths, that is, the first groove 14a, the second groove 14b, and the third groove 14c are formed on the seat surface 9 of the valve support 7. In addition, the inflow ports 10a, 10b, 10c (see FIGS. 17, 19, 20) communicating with the grooves 14a, 14b, 14c, the outflow passages 15a, 15b, 15c (see FIGS. 13, 14, 15), the outflow port 13a, 13b and 13c (see FIG. 18) are formed separately. As a result, three independent internal flow paths 17a, 17b, 17c that circulate through the three grooves of the first groove 14a, the second groove 14b, and the third groove 14c are formed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the first groove 14a, the second groove 14b, and the third groove 14c extend radially from the center of the seat surface 9 of the valve support 7. Assuming that the widths of the first groove 14a, the second groove 14b, and the third groove 14c are W1, W2, and W3, W1> W2> W3, and the intervals are spaced in the circumferential direction so as not to interfere with each other. ..

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the bottom surface of the first groove 14a and the bottom surface of the second groove 14b having a large groove width are formed on a curved surface along the bending of the valve body 6. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, the bottom surface of the third groove 14c having the smallest width of W3 is formed deeply and flatly so that the bent valve body 6 does not abut. As a result, even if the first groove 14a and the second groove 14b are blocked by the bent valve body 6, the third groove 14c is not blocked by the valve body 6, and the minimum flow rate is maintained. Is secured.

Next, the operation of the constant flow valve 21 of the second embodiment will be described.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, the fluid (water in this embodiment) flowing from the water supply source to the valve housing 2 hits the pressure receiving surface 6a of the valve body 6 and hits the wall surface of the valve housing 2 and the outer circumference of the valve support 7. It flows through the external flow path 16 in the gap between the surface 7c and passes through the grooves 14a, 14b, 14c and the outflow passages 15a, 15b, 15c from the three inlets 10a, 10b, 10c of the valve support 7. Then, the fluid flows from the outlets 13a, 13b, 13c to the downstream side of the valve housing 2 and is supplied to a supply destination (not shown).

When the pressure of the fluid in the valve housing 2 rises, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 13, 14, and 15, three grooves 14a, 14b, 14c not supported by the seat surface 9 of the valve body 6 The portion facing the valve body 6 bends and deforms toward the three grooves 14a, 14b, 14c according to the pressure of the fluid acting on the pressure receiving surface 6a of the valve body 6. As a result, the cross sections of the three grooves 14a, 14b, 14c change, and the flow rate of the fluid flowing into the grooves 14a, 14b, 14c from the three inlets 10a, 10b, 10c changes.

The flow rate flowing through the three internal flow paths can be calculated by the above-mentioned mathematical formula Q = CA√ (2P / ρ). The change in flow rate with respect to the change in fluid pressure is different for each groove 14a, 14b, 14c.

That is, in the first groove 14a and the second groove 14b having a groove width larger than that of the third groove 14c, in the low pressure region, the valve body 6 has a small deflection and a large opening area, so that the effect of the orifice is small and the pressure is increased. The flow rate increases significantly with the increase. In the medium pressure region, since the effect of the orifice is large, the change in the flow rate is small with respect to the increase in pressure, and the effect as the constant flow valve 1 is high. The constant flow rate region in which the first groove 14a having a large groove width is highly effective as a constant flow rate valve is on the low pressure side of the constant flow rate region of the second groove 14b. In the high pressure region, since the valve body 6 is close to the bottoms of the grooves 14a and 14b, the flow rate decreases as the pressure increases, and when the valve body 6 comes into contact with the bottoms of the grooves 14a and 14b, the flow is blocked. The flow rate becomes zero.

In the third groove 14c, which has the smallest groove width, the valve body 6 has a small deflection and a large opening area in the low pressure region, so that the effect of the orifice is small and the pressure is increased as in the first groove 14a and the second groove 14b. The flow rate increases greatly with the increase. In the medium pressure region, the effect of the orifice is slightly large, but since the gap between the valve body 6 and the bottom of the groove 14c is large, the flow rate increases with the increase in pressure. In the high pressure region, the amount of deflection of the valve body 6 hardly changes from the medium pressure region, so that the flow rate increases with the increase in pressure.

Since the constant flow rate valve 21 of the second embodiment has internal flow paths 17a, 17b, and 17c having the first groove 14a, the second groove 14b, and the third groove 14c, respectively, the valve of the first groove 14a. Low pressure due to the constant flow rate control action in the low pressure range by the body 6, the constant flow rate control action in the medium pressure range by the valve body 6 in the second groove 14, and the flow rate maintenance action in the high pressure range by the valve body 6 in the third groove 14c. It has a constant flow rate control action in a wide pressure range from the range to the high pressure range.

Two types of constant flow valves were prepared by mounting EPDM valves having a diameter of 14 mm and a thickness of 5 mm on a valve support having an outer diameter of 16.8 mm having three grooves having different groove widths.

In FIG. 20A, a constant flow rate valve having three grooves with groove widths W of 10 mm, 7 mm, and 4 mm was used, and the fluid pressure was changed from 0 to 1.2 MPa to obtain the flow rate. A constant flow rate of 10.0 to 16.0 L / min could be secured in a wide pressure range from 0.05 MPa to 1.2 MPa.

In FIG. 20B, a constant flow rate valve having three grooves with groove widths W of 10 mm, 6 mm, and 2 mm was used, and the fluid pressure was changed from 0 to 1.2 MPa to obtain the flow rate. A constant flow rate of 10.0 to 16.0 L / min could be secured in a wide pressure range from 0.05 MPa to 1.2 MPa.

By adjusting the three groove widths as in the above embodiment, it is possible to secure a constant flow rate against a wide range of pressure fluctuations within the required flow rate range.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention described in the claims. For example, the number of grooves in the valve support is not limited to three, and may be two, four, or more. Further, the valve body is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, or a polygonal shape according to the number of grooves.

1 ... Constant flow valve 2 ... Valve housing 4 ... Flow path 6 ... Valve body 6a ... Pressure receiving surface 6b ... Support surface 6c ... Outer peripheral surface 7 ... Valve support 7a ... Upstream side end surface 7b ... Downstream side end surface 7c ... Outer peripheral surface 8 … Recess 9… Seat surface 10… Inlet 13… Outlet 14… Groove 15… Outflow path 16… External flow path 17… Internal flow rate 21… Constant flow valve

Claims (7)

A valve body made of an elastic body, which is arranged in the fluid flow path,
A constant flow rate valve including a valve support having a seating surface for supporting the valve body.
The valve body has a pressure receiving surface facing the flow path and a supporting surface opposite to the pressure receiving surface and supported by the seat surface.
A groove is formed on the seat surface of the valve support so as to face a part of the support surface of the valve body.
A constant flow valve characterized in that one end of the groove communicates with an inflow port formed in the valve support and the other end of the groove communicates with an outflow port formed in the valve support. .. The valve support is a columnar shape having a diameter smaller than that of the wall surface of the flow path.
A recess for accommodating the valve body is formed on the upstream end surface of the valve support located on the upstream side of the flow path, and the seat surface is formed on the bottom of the recess.
The outlet is formed on the downstream end surface of the valve support located on the downstream side of the flow path.
The constant flow rate valve according to claim 1, wherein the inflow port is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve support. The groove extends in the radial direction of the valve support and
The constant flow rate valve according to claim 2, wherein the outflow port communicates with the groove through an outflow path extending in the axial direction of the valve support. The constant flow rate valve according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the valve support is supported on the wall surface of the flow path at the outer peripheral portion of the downstream end surface. The constant flow rate valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cross-sectional area of the outflow port is larger than the cross-sectional area of the inflow port. The constant flow rate valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the grooves are formed on the seat surface of the valve support, and the plurality of grooves have different groove widths. The constant flow rate valve according to claim 6, wherein the depth of the groove having the smallest width among the plurality of grooves is formed deeper than the depth of the other grooves.

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