Switch valve for gas container

Abstract

A switch valve for a gas container includes a main body, a switch structure, and a rotating structure. The main body includes a hollow tube, a joint, and a conduit. The switch structure includes a sleeve inserted in the hollow tube and features a first ventilation hole communicating with the joint and a second ventilation hole communicating with the conduit. The rotating structure includes an actuator assembly having an actuating rod and a stationary valve. The stationary valve is fixed inside the sleeve and includes a perforation that connects to the second ventilation hole. The rotary valve stacked on the stationary valve includes a notch. By rotating the actuator assembly, the actuating rod drives the rotary valve to rotate, aligning the notch with the perforation and the first ventilation hole to open the switch valve. This design avoids the need for screw-based opening and closing mechanisms in related art.

Description

SWITCH VALVE FOR GAS CONTAINERSPECIFICATIONBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTechnical FieldThe present disclosure relates to a technology of a gas container, specificallyto a switch valve for a gas container.Description of Related ArtValve seats for gas containers are primarily used to control whether gas maybe transmitted through the gas container. When the valve seats are opened, gasmay be transmitted; when the valve seats are closed, transmission is prevented.Valve seats of related art use a structure consisting of a bolt paired with athreaded hole which connects to a gas port. By turning the bolt clockwise orcounterclockwise, the bolt moves up or down relative to the threaded hole. Thismovement either blocks the gas port to stop the gas flow or moves the bolt awayfrom the gas port to allow gas to pass through, thereby controlling gas transmission.However, this type of bolt and threaded hole structure in valve seats of relatedart, which are threadedly screwed together, tends to suffer from wear and tear orget dirty over time due to repeated turning and friction. Improper force appliedduring operation may cause the threads to jam, making it unclear whether the valveseat is open or closed. If it jams in the open position but is mistakenly thought tobe closed when replacing the gas container, this could lead to significant gasleakage and potentially cause a fire or explosion.Furthermore, valve seats of related art use the bolt to block the gas hole toprevent gas transmission, but lack a locking structure to secure the bolt in theclosed position. This deficiency may result in the valve seat being accidentallyopened during the handling or transportation of gas containers, whether due tohandlers inadvertently activating the valve seat, vibrations during vehicle transitshaking the valve seat open, or improper securing causing the gas container todislodge and fall outside the vehicle and knock the valve seat open, or even whenthe valve seat is knocked open due to a collision or overturning of the transportvehicle. Such incidents may lead to unintentional gas leaks, posing a public safetyhazard.Therefore, addressing these deficiencies in related art is a significant issuethat the inventors of this application urgently wish to resolve.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an objective of the present application to provide a switch valve for a gascontainer that operates by using an actuating rod to rotate a rotary valve in relationto a stationary valve. This rotation enables a notch in the rotary valve tocommunicate between the joint and the conduit, thus opening the connection. Thismechanism avoids the need for the screwing and unscrewing method used inrelated art to open and close the valve.In order to achieve to above objective, the present application provides aswitch valve for a gas container, including: a main body including a hollow tube, ajoint, and a conduit interconnected and communicating with each other; a switchstructure including a sleeve, wherein the sleeve is fixedly inserted into the hollowtube and includes a first ventilation hole and a second ventilation hole, the firstventilation hole communicates with the joint, and the second ventilation holecommunicates with the conduit; and a rotating structure including an actuatorassembly, wherein the actuator assembly includes an actuating rod and astationary valve, the stationary valve is fixedly positioned inside the sleeve andincludes a perforation connecting to the second ventilation hole, the actuating rodis rotatably inserted into the sleeve, one end of the actuating rod is connected to arotary valve, and the rotary valve is stacked on the stationary valve and equippedwith a notch, wherein upon rotation of the rotating structure, the actuating rod inthe actuator assembly drives the rotary valve to rotate, positioning the notch suchthat the notch aligns and establishes a connection between the perforation and thefirst ventilation hole.Compared to related art, the present application offers the following benefits:it avoids the use of the related art’s screwing and unscrewing method for openingand closing, thus it does not have the deficiencies associated with the related art.It also ensures that the user clearly knows whether it is in an open or closed state,and guarantees no gas leaks or escapes when in the closed position.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the present applicationbefore being pressed and rotated.FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the application before beingpressed and rotated.FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 1.FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 5-5 in FIG. 1.FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 6-6 in FIG. 1.FIG. 7 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the present application afterbeing pressed.FIG. 8 is aschematic side cross-sectional view of the present application afterbeing pressed.FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a braking part and a discaccording to FIG. 7.FIG. 10 is another schematic cross-sectional view of the braking part and thedisc according to FIG. 7.FIG. 11 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the present applicationafter being rotated.FIG. 12 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the present applicationafter being rotated.FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a rotary valve and a stationaryvalve according to FIG. 11.FIG. 14 is another schematic cross-sectional view of the rotary valve and thestationary valve according to FIG. 11.FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the braking part and the discaccording to FIG. 11.FIG. 16 is another schematic cross-sectional view of the braking part and thedisc according to FIG. 11.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe detailed description and technical content of the present application areexplained with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the attacheddrawings are provided only for reference and explanation and are not intended tolimit the scope of this application.The present application provides a switch valve for a gas container, as shownin FIG. 1, used to control the transmission of gas in a gas container (not illustratedin the drawings). FIGS. 1 to 6 show schematic views of the switch valve beforebeing pressed and rotated, FIGS. 7 to 10 depict the switch valve after beingpressed, and FIGS. 11 to 16 illustrate the switch valve after being rotated.As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the switch valve for the gas container (hereinafterreferred to as the switch valve) includes: a main body 1, a rotating structure 2, anda switch structure 3.The main body 1 includes a hollow tube 11, a joint 12, and a conduit 13connected and communicating with each other. The hollow tube 11, the joint 12,and the conduit 13 are hollow, with the hollow tube 11 containing a hollow passage111.The switch structure 3 includes a sleeve 31. The sleeve 31 is hollow insideand has a cylindrical inner space 311. On the outside, the sleeve 31 has a fixedcomponent 312. The sleeve 31 is inserted and fixed within the hollow passage 111of the hollow tube 11. The sleeve 31 includes a first ventilation hole 313 and asecond ventilation hole 314 that communicate with the cylindrical inner space 311,with the first ventilation hole 313 communicating with the joint 12, and the secondventilation hole 314 communicating with the conduit 13. The first ventilation hole313 may be located on a circumferential surface of the sleeve 31, and the secondventilation hole 314 may be located on one end surface of the sleeve 31. However,the present application does not limit their positions; the first ventilation hole 313and the second ventilation hole 314 may be located on other parts of the sleeve31.The present application does not limit the way for the sleeve 31 to be fixedinside the hollow tube 11; any method that secures the sleeve 31 is acceptable.For instance, the sleeve 31 may be fixed using its fixed component 312 fixed to acorresponding fixed component (not labeled) of the hollow tube 11. In oneembodiment, the fixed component 312 and the corresponding fixed componentmay be an external thread and an internal thread, respectively, but are not limitedto these.The rotating structure 2 includes a rotating body 21 and an actuator assembly23. The actuator assembly 23 is connected to the rotating body 21. The actuatorassembly 23 includes an actuating rod (not labeled) and a stationary valve 235.The actuating rod may be a single-piece structure or a multi-piece structure (Suchas including a first actuating rod 231 and a second actuating rod 232); in thisembodiment, a single-piece structure is used as an example for illustration.The stationary valve 235 is fixed inside the sleeve 31 at a positioncorresponding to the second ventilation hole 314, ensuring that the stationary valve235 remains immobile and unable to rotate relative to the sleeve 31. The stationaryvalve 235 includes two perforations 2351 (which may be linearly opposite eachother), with the perforations 2351 penetrating through two opposite end surfacesof the stationary valve 235, allowing the perforations 2351 to connect the cylindricalinner space 311 to the second ventilation hole 314.The actuating rod may be rotatably inserted inside the sleeve 31, with one endof the actuating rod connected to a rotary valve 234. The rotary valve 234 includestwo notches 2341 (which may be linearly opposite each other). Both the rotaryvalve 234 and the stationary valve 235 may be a plate with a thickness, and therotary valve 234 and the stationary valve 235 are stacked on top of each other in athickness direction. Specifically, the notches 2341 are designed to connect the firstventilation hole 313 through a circumferential surface of the rotary valve 234, andthe notches 2341 connect to the perforations 2351 through one end surface of therotary valve 234, allowing the perforations 2351 to connect to the notches 2341and the second ventilation hole 314 after the rotary valve 234 is rotated.Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, in the switch valve of the present application,when the rotating structure 2 has not yet been rotated, the notches 2341 of therotary valve 234 do not align and communicate with the first ventilation hole 313and the perforations 2351, thereby preventing gas from flowing from the joint 12through the hollow tube 11 to the conduit 13, meaning the switch valve is in aclosed state and unable to transmit gas. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, when a userrotates the rotating body 21 by 90 degrees, it drives the actuating rod along withthe rotary valve 234 to rotate relative to the sleeve 31. After the rotary valve 234 isrotated 90 degrees, the notches 2341 align and connect the first ventilation hole313 with the perforations 2351, placing the switch valve in an open state capableof transmitting gas. This allows gas to enter from the joint 12 into the first ventilationhole 313, then through the notches 2341 and the perforations 2351, and outthrough the second ventilation hole 314 into the conduit 13. In other words, theswitch valve of this application may replace switch valves of related art, thusavoiding the use of related art's screw-opening and screw-closing methods, andeliminating all the deficiencies of the related art, ensuring that gas does not leak orescape when the switch valve is in the closed state. Furthermore, it is also possibleto add open and close labels (not shown in the drawings) on the rotating body 21,allowing users to easily and clearly know whether the switch valve of thisapplication is in the open or closed state.As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, to enhance safety, the rotating structure 2 mustperform a certain action before it can rotate. Consequently, the switch structure 3in the switch valve of this application further includes a braking part 32, and theactuating rod is designed as a multi-piece structure. It should be noted that an axisof the actuating rod (or a longitudinal direction of the actuating rod) is defined asan axial direction (not labelled).The braking part 32 contains a movable space 321 inside. Inside the movablespace 321, there are a braking position (e.g., an upper part of the movable space321) and a release position (e.g., a lower part of the movable space 321), whichare not marked with reference numbers or component symbols.The actuating rod includes a first actuating rod 231 and a second actuatingrod 232. The first actuating rod 231 is telescopically inserted into the secondactuating rod 232 along the axial direction. The first actuating rod 231 includes adisc 24 which is housed within the movable space 321 of the braking part 32; oneend of the second actuating rod 232 is connected to the rotary valve 234.The switch valve of the present application further includes a springcomponent S. The spring component S is fitted around the first actuating rod 231and provides elastic support between the rotating body 21 and the braking part 32.This arrangement allows the rotating structure 2, after being pressed downward, tobe pushed back up to its original position (the aforementioned braking position) bythe restoring force of the spring component S when the pressing force is released.Consequently, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, when the user has not pressed downthe rotating structure 2, the disc 24 is in the aforementioned original position (thebraking position), where the disc 24 is restrained by the braking part 32 and thusunable to rotate (meaning it is locked). This also prevents the first actuating rod231, which is fixed to the disc 24, from driving the second actuating rod 232 torotate together relative to the sleeve 31. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, when the userpresses the rotating structure 2 along the axial direction, the disc 24 moves axiallyto the aforementioned release position, freeing the disc 24 from the braking actionof the braking part 32 at the braking position, thereby unlocking the disc 24 andallowing the disc 24 to rotate (meaning it is unlocked). This, in turn, enables thefirst actuating rod 231, which is fixed to the disc 24, to drives the second actuatingrod 232 and the rotary valve 234 relative to the sleeve 31. In other words, to openthe switch valve, it is necessary to first press to unlock the switch structure 3,thereby avoiding accidental activation of the switch valve. Furthermore, becauseof its locking feature, the switch valve of the present application is alsocharacterized by its ability to remain closed despite vibrations or impacts that mightotherwise cause the switch valve to open.The present application does not specify the structure of the first actuating rod231 for being telescopically inserted into the second actuating rod 232. In thisembodiment, the method described below is used for illustration. As shown in FIGS.1 to 2 and FIGS. 7 to 8, the first actuating rod 231 includes an insertion end 2311along its axial direction, with a circumference of the insertion end 2311 having atleast one flat plane (seen in FIG. 2, not labelled). One end of the second actuatingrod 232 includes an insertion hole 2321 along its axial direction that matches theinsertion end 2311, allowing the insertion end 2311 to be telescopically insertedinto the insertion hole 2321. In one embodiment, the insertion end 2311 may be arectangular rod as shown in FIG. 5, and the insertion hole 2321 is a correspondingrectangular hole; the second actuating rod 232 is a cylindrical rod, and thecylindrical space 311 is a corresponding cylindrical hole.The present application also does not particularly specify how the braking part32 brakes the disc 24. In this embodiment, the following method is used forillustration. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the braking part 32 is connected to thesleeve 31 and communicates with it. Inside the braking part 32, there are multiplebraking ribs 323, 324. The disc 24 includes at least one first braking body 241 onone side and at least one second braking body 242 on its outer edge.Due to the arrangement of the braking ribs 323, 324 within the braking part 32,before pressing, the first braking body 241 of the disc 24, as shown in FIG. 5, isblocked by the braking rib 323 and cannot rotate counterclockwise, while thesecond braking body 242 of the disc 24, as shown in FIG. 6, is blocked by thebraking rib 324 and cannot rotate clockwise. After pressing, as shown in FIG. 9,the first braking body 241 is released from the blocking of the braking rib 323 andcan rotate counterclockwise, whereas the second braking body 242 remainsblocked by the braking rib 324, as shown in FIG. 10, and still cannot rotateclockwise; thus, the disc 24 can only rotate counterclockwise. Consequently, whenthe user rotates the rotating structure 2 counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 13, thedisc 24 is driven to rotate counterclockwise by 90 degrees, and stops rotating whenthe second braking body 242, as shown in FIG. 14, is blocked by another brakingrib 324. Additionally, because the rotating structure 2 can only rotate 90 degreescounterclockwise under the restriction of the braking ribs, there is no risk ofexcessive rotation that could cause damage to the switch valve.In other words, the first braking body 241, in the braking position, is blockedby at least one of a part of the braking ribs 323, while the second braking body 242,in the braking position, is blocked by at least one of another part of the braking ribs324. At the release position, the first braking body 241 moves away from the atleast one of the part of the multiple braking ribs 323, and the second braking body242 in the release position is blocked by at least another one of the another part ofthe braking ribs 324.In summary, the switch valve for the gas container in the present applicationcan indeed achieve the intended usage purposes and effects, and can address thedeficiencies of the related art.The descriptions above are merely preferred and feasible embodiments of thepresent application and do not limit the scope of the patents of this application. Anyequivalent structural changes made by utilizing the descriptions and illustrations inthis application are considered to be within the scope of the claims of thisapplication, and are thus clarified herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A switch valve for a gas container, the switch valve comprising:a main body, comprising a hollow tube, a joint, and a conduit connected andcommunicating with each other;a switch structure, comprising a sleeve, wherein the sleeve is fixedly insertedinto the hollow tube and comprises a first ventilation hole and a second ventilationhole, the first ventilation hole communicates with the joint, and the secondventilation hole communicates with the conduit; anda rotating structure, comprising an actuator assembly, wherein the actuatorassembly comprises an actuating rod and a stationary valve, the stationary valveis fixedly positioned inside the sleeve and comprises a perforation communicatingto the second ventilation hole, the actuating rod is rotatably inserted into the sleeve,one end of the actuating rod is connected to a rotary valve, and the rotary valve isstacked on the stationary valve and defined with a notch,wherein upon rotation of the rotating structure, the actuating rod in the actuatorassembly drives the rotary valve to rotate to position the notch to be aligned andcommunicating between the perforation and the first ventilation hole.

2. The switch valve according to claim 1, wherein the rotary valve and thestationary valve respectively have a thickness and are stacked on each other in athickness direction, the notch communicates with the joint with respect to acircumferential surface of the rotary valve and communicates with the perforationwith respect to one end surface of the rotary valve, and the perforation penetratesbetween two end surfaces of the stationary valve and communicates between thenotch and the second ventilation hole.

3. The switch valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a number of theperforations is set to two, and a number of the notches is also set to two.

4. The switch valve according to claim 1, wherein the switch structure furthercomprises a braking part, a braking position and a release position are defined inthe braking part, the rotating structure defines an axis of the actuating rod as anaxial direction, the actuating rod comprises a first actuating rod and a secondactuating rod, the first actuating rod is telescopically inserted into the secondactuating rod along the axial direction, the first actuating rod comprises a disc thatis housed within the braking part, and one end of the second actuating rod isconnected to the rotary valve, wherein when the first actuating rod moves axiallyto position the disc at the braking position, the second actuating rod is preventedfrom being driven to rotate by the first actuating rod, and when the first actuatingrod moves axially to position the disc at the release position, the first actuating roddrives the second actuating rod to rotate relative to the switch structure.

5. The switch valve according to claim 4, wherein the first actuating rodcomprises an insertion end, a circumference of the insertion end features at leastone flat surface, the second actuating rod is equipped with an insertion hole thatmatches the insertion end, and the insertion end is telescopically inserted into thisinsertion hole.

6. The switch valve according to claim 4, wherein the braking part is connectedand communicates with the sleeve, the braking part contains a plurality of brakingribs disposed therein, and the disc comprises a first braking body on one side anda second braking body on an outer circumference of the disc, wherein in thebraking position, the first braking body is blocked by at least one of a part of thebraking ribs, and the second braking body is blocked by at least one of anotherpart of the braking ribs; in the release position, the first braking body moves awayfrom at least one of the part of the braking ribs, and the second braking body in therelease position is blocked by at least one of the another part of the braking ribs.

7. The switch valve according to claim 1, wherein the rotating structure furthercomprises a rotating body, and the actuator assembly is connected to the rotatingbody.

8. The switch valve for the gas container according to claim 7, furthercomprising an elastic component, wherein the elastic component sheathes theactuator assembly and provides elastic support between the rotating body and theswitch structure.