regulator

Abstract

Provided is a regulator that opens and closes a pressure regulating valve body by a piston portion in accordance with pressure fluctuations in a pressure regulating chamber, controls the flow rate of high-pressure fluid, and is used when reducing the pressure of high-pressure fluid to a desired pressure, and that eliminates frictional resistance that occurs between the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of a passage formed in a main body for holding the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body when the piston pressure regulating valve slides (reciprocates), and prevents loss of function due to tilting of the piston pressure regulating valve. The regulator is characterized in that at least one pair of annular bearings (10a, 10b) made of a hard synthetic resin are provided at a predetermined distance along the length direction of the pressure regulating valve body (5) at the valve seat (3) side position in the axial direction of the gap (9) formed between the pressure regulating valve body (5) and the inner wall (25) of the passage (2) formed in the main body (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a regulator used to reduce the pressure of a high-pressure fluid to a desired pressure. Background Technology

[0002] For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-92436 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-67216 disclose a regulator that controls the flow rate of high-pressure fluid by opening and closing a pressure regulating valve through a piston part according to the pressure change in the pressure regulating chamber. This regulator is used as a pressure regulator, for example, when supplying high-pressure fuel such as CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) stored in the fuel tank to an engine.

[0003] Figure 5An example of the existing regulator is shown, in which one open end of a cylindrical passage 2 formed through the main body 1 serves as an inlet 21 for high-pressure fluid, and the other open end serves as an outlet 22 for depressurized fluid. Inside the inlet 21 of the passage 2, a pressure regulating chamber 4 is disposed, separated by a valve seat 3 formed by a valve seat retaining member 33. The valve seat retaining member 33 has a valve seat 31 on its inner side and forms a through hole 32 in the axial direction of the passage 2. Between the pressure regulating chamber 4 and the outlet 22 of the passage 2... A piston-regulating valve 7, consisting of a regulating valve body 5 and a piston portion 6, is capable of sliding along the axial direction of the passage 2. The regulating valve body 5 has a front end face that can tightly contact the valve seat plate 31 and has a cylindrical communication passage open at both ends. The piston portion 6 surrounds and secures the outer periphery of the regulating valve body 5 on the outlet 22 side of the passage 2. The piston-regulating valve 7 applies force to the outlet 22 of the passage 2 via a regulating spring 8. The regulating spring 8 has a predetermined load and is disposed within an atmospheric chamber, which is located within the piston portion. The pressure regulating chamber 4 is coaxially parallel to the pressure regulating chamber 4. High-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet 21 is introduced through a through-hole 32 formed on the valve seat plate 3 retaining member of the pressure regulating valve body 5, into the valve seat plate 31 and the pressure regulating chamber 4, which is positioned opposite to the valve seat plate 31. This fluid passes through the pressure regulating valve body 5, which has a communicating passage 51, and acts on the piston portion 6, which engages with the pressure regulating valve body 5. The load generated by the pressure of the fluid acting on the piston portion 6 is balanced by the load generated by the pressure regulating spring 8 acting on the piston portion 6 on the opposite side of the pressure regulating chamber 4, thereby balancing the pressure regulating fluid. The fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber 4 is controlled by changing the opening area of ​​the valve seat plate 31 and the pressure regulating valve body 5, thereby taking out the fluid adjusted to the desired pressure from the outlet 22. In such a main body 1, one of the opening ends of the cylindrical passage 2 formed in a manner that penetrates the main body 1 is used as the inlet 21 of the high-pressure fluid, and the other opening end is used as the outlet 22 of the pressure-reducing fluid. The inlet 21 and the outlet 22 are respectively provided with an inlet cover 23 for airtightly introducing the high-pressure fluid and an outlet cover 24 for airtightly taking out the pressure-regulated fluid.

[0004] In addition, the valve seat 3 is disposed inside the inlet 21 in the passage 2. A cylindrical valve seat plate 31 is provided inside the valve seat 3. An outer peripheral flange protruding from the outer peripheral end face of the valve seat plate 31 is embedded in the fitting recess. The valve seat 3 has a plate retaining member 33, which is a partition wall with a through hole 32 in the axial direction of the passage 2. A pressure regulating chamber 4 is formed in the direction of the inlet 21 of the valve seat plate 31 in the passage 2.

[0005] Furthermore, between the pressure regulating chamber 4 and the outlet 22 in the passage 2, a piston pressure regulating valve 7, consisting of a pressure regulating valve body 5 and a piston part 6, is configured to slide in the axial direction of the passage 2. The pressure regulating valve body 5 has a front end face 51 that can closely contact the valve seat plate 31 of the valve seat 3 and has a cylindrical communication passage 52 with open ends. The piston part 6 is disposed on the outer periphery of the outlet 22 side in the passage 2 of the pressure regulating valve body 5 and has a diameter larger than that of the pressure regulating valve body 5.

[0006] Furthermore, in the piston section 6, a pressure regulating spring 8 applies force towards the outlet 22 of the passage 2. The pressure regulating spring 8 has a predetermined load and is disposed in the atmospheric chamber 61, which is arranged to be coaxially parallel to the pressure regulating chamber 4 around the piston section 6. The high-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet 21 is introduced through the through hole 32 formed on the retaining member 33 of the valve seat plate 31 of the valve seat 3 into the pressure regulating chamber 4, which is arranged facing the valve seat plate 31, thereby passing through the pressure regulating valve body 5, which has a connecting passage 52, and acting on the piston section 6, which is fixed to the pressure regulating valve body 5. The load generated by the pressure of the fluid acting on the piston section 6 is balanced by the load generated by the pressure regulating spring 8 acting on the piston section 6 on the opposite side of the pressure regulating chamber 4. As a result, the opening area of ​​the valve seat plate 31 and the pressure regulating valve body 5 is changed to control the fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber 4, thereby taking out the fluid adjusted to the desired pressure from the outlet 22.

[0007] Existing technical documents

[0008] Patent documents

[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-92436

[0010] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-67216 Summary of the Invention

[0011] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0012] However, in the conventional regulator, the piston portion 6 of the relatively long piston pressure regulating valve 7 and the pressure regulating valve body 5 slide (reciprocate) while tilting in the gaps formed between them and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 of the main body 1, thus generating frictional resistance at their respective contact points.

[0013] Therefore, there is a problem that the sliding (reciprocating motion) of the piston pressure regulating valve 7 is not smooth and the performance is degraded. In particular, there is the following problem: friction is generated at the contact point due to use, thereby increasing the gap at the contact point, causing performance degradation, and eventually leading to loss of function.

[0014] The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems. Its objective is to provide a regulator that, when the piston pressure regulating valve slides (reciprocates), eliminates the frictional resistance generated between the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body for holding the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body, so as not to lose its function due to the tilting of the piston pressure regulating valve.

[0015] means for solving problems

[0016] The present invention, completed to solve the aforementioned problem, is a regulator in which one open end of a cylindrical passage formed through the main body serves as an inlet for high-pressure fluid, and the other open end serves as an outlet for depressurized fluid. Inside the inlet of the passage, a pressure regulating chamber is disposed, separated from the valve seat by a valve seat retaining member. The valve seat retaining member has a valve seat plate on its inner side and a through hole in the axial direction of the passage. Between the pressure regulating chamber and the outlet of the passage, a piston-regulating valve, consisting of a pressure regulating valve body and a piston portion, is slidable in the axial direction of the passage. The pressure regulating valve body has a front end face that can tightly contact the valve seat plate and has a cylindrical communicating passage open at both ends. The piston portion surrounds and secures the outer periphery of the outlet side of the passage of the pressure regulating valve body. The piston-regulating valve applies force towards the outlet direction of the passage via a pressure regulating spring. The pressure regulating spring has a predetermined load and is disposed within an atmospheric chamber. The atmospheric chamber is configured to be coaxially parallel to the pressure regulating chamber around the piston portion. High-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet is introduced through a through hole formed on the valve seat plate retaining member of the pressure regulating valve body, into the valve seat plate and the pressure regulating chamber which is arranged facing the valve seat plate, thereby passing through the pressure regulating valve body which has a communicating passage and acting on the piston portion which is fixed to the pressure regulating valve body. The load generated by the pressure of the fluid acting on the piston portion is balanced by the load generated by the pressure regulating spring acting on the piston portion on the opposite side of the pressure regulating chamber, thereby controlling the fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber by changing the opening area of ​​the valve seat plate and the pressure regulating valve body, thereby taking out the fluid adjusted to the desired pressure from the outlet. In the regulator, at least one pair of annular bearings made of hard synthetic resin are provided at a predetermined distance along the length direction of the pressure regulating valve body at the valve seat side position in the axial direction of the gap formed between the pressure regulating valve body and the passage formed in the main body.

[0017] Furthermore, in this invention, the gap between the piston portion and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body is set such that, within the angular range allowed by the distance between the annular bearings and the gap formed between the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body, when the pressure regulating valve body is tilted along the axis, the piston portion does not contact the inner wall of the passage of the main body. Thus, even if the pressure regulating valve body is tilted, there is no need to worry about the piston portion contacting the main body and causing performance degradation or damage.

[0018] Furthermore, in this invention, an insertion groove for the annular bearing is formed on the end face of the piston portion of the bushing that extends from the passage of the main body along the gap at a predetermined distance. Thus, by simply installing the annular bearing into the insertion groove, the annular bearing can be positioned at a predetermined installation position in the length direction of the pressure regulating valve body.

[0019] Furthermore, a notch is formed in a portion of the annular bearing, and at the opening end of the insertion groove of the annular bearing in the piston-side end face of the bushing, a flange for preventing the inserted annular bearing from being pulled out is provided to expand inward. In this case, even if the pressure regulating valve body reciprocates, the annular bearing inserted in the insertion groove will not be pulled out.

[0020] In particular, a notch is formed in a part of the annular bearing, so that by pushing the annular bearing inward and reducing its diameter before assembling the pressure regulating valve body, the annular bearing can be easily inserted into the insertion groove from the opening end that is narrowed by the flange.

[0021] Furthermore, in this invention, an insertion groove for the annular bearing is formed on the end face of the valve seat side of the bushing that extends from the passage of the main body along the gap at a predetermined distance, and a sealing member is provided adjacent to the end face. The sealing member blocks the gap between the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body. In this case, the annular bearing inserted in the insertion groove will not be pulled out, and when pressure is applied, the annular bearing is compressed by the sealing member and fills the gap between the pressure regulating valve body and the main body, thereby performing the function of a retaining ring to prevent the sealing member from protruding.

[0022] The effects of the invention

[0023] According to the present invention, a regulator can be provided that, when the piston pressure regulating valve slides (reciprocates), eliminates the frictional resistance generated between the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body for holding the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body, so as not to lose function due to the tilting of the piston pressure regulating valve. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention with the valve closed.

[0025] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment is shown in cross-sectional view when the valve is open.

[0026] Figure 3 It shows that Figure 1 An enlarged cross-sectional view of the piston pressure regulating valve portion of the embodiment shown.

[0027] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 An enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the annular bearing of the embodiment shown.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view showing the implementation of the existing example when the valve is opened.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0030] 1: Main body, 2: Passage, 3: Valve seat, 4: Pressure regulating chamber, 5: Pressure regulating valve body, 6: Piston part, 7: Piston pressure regulating valve, 8: Pressure regulating spring, 9: Clearance, 10a, 10b: Ring bearing, 12a, 12b: End face, 13a, 13b: Insertion groove, 14a: Flange, 21: Inlet, 22: Outlet, 23: Inlet cover, 24: Outlet cover, 25: Inner wall, 31: Valve seat plate, 32: Through hole, 33: Valve seat plate retaining member, 51: Front end face, 52: Connecting passage, 61: Atmospheric chamber, 62: Connecting hole, 91: Sealing member, 101a, 101b: Cutout. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figures 1 to 4 A cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, the overall structure of which is similar to that described above. Figure 5 The existing examples shown are largely the same, and detailed descriptions of these parts are omitted. Furthermore, structural parts identical to those in the existing examples are given the same reference numerals for description.

[0033] Moreover, the embodiment of the present invention differs in particular from the prior art in that, on the valve seat 3 side in the axial direction of the gap 9 formed between the pressure regulating valve body 5 and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 formed in the main body 1, at least a pair of annular bearings 10a, 10b are provided at a predetermined distance along the length direction of the pressure regulating valve body 5. The at least one pair of annular bearings 10a, 10b are made of a tough, hard synthetic resin with low frictional resistance, such as hard vinyl chloride resin or polypropylene resin.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gap 9 between the piston portion 6 and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 formed in the main body is set to be the distance between the pair of annular bearings 10a and 10b. Figure 3 When the pressure regulating valve body 5 is tilted along the axis within the allowable angle range of the distance A shown and the gap 9, the piston part 6 does not contact the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 of the main body 1.

[0035] As a result, even if the pressure regulating valve body 5 is tilted, the piston part 6 does not come into contact with the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 of the main body 1, so there is no need to worry about performance degradation or damage due to use.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the passage 2 from the main body 1 is spaced along the gap 9 at a predetermined distance ( Figure 3 The distance B shown is extended by a bushing 11, and an annular insertion groove 13a for inserting the annular bearing 10a is formed on the end face 12a on the piston portion 6 side of the bushing 11.

[0037] Therefore, by simply inserting the annular bearing 12a into the insertion groove 13a and installing it, the annular bearing 12a can be easily and reliably positioned at the specified length direction of the pressure regulating valve body 5.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the opening end of the insertion groove 13a of the bushing 11, the flange 14a for preventing the inserted annular bearing 10a from being pulled out is provided to expand inward, so that even if the pressure regulating valve body 5 reciprocates in the axial direction, the annular bearing 10a inserted into the insertion groove 13a will not be pulled out.

[0039] In particular, in this embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown, a cutout 101a is formed in a portion of the annular bearing 10a. Therefore, by pushing the annular bearing 10a from the outer circumference to the inside and reducing its diameter before assembling the pressure regulating valve body 5, the annular bearing 10a can be easily inserted into the insertion groove 13a from the opening end that is narrowed by the flange 14a.

[0040] In addition, for the formation of Figure 4 The annular bearing 10a of this embodiment, which has a cut 101a as shown and can reduce its diameter, is preferably formed of a hard synthetic resin as described above, which, in addition to being tough and having low friction, also has appropriate flexibility or elasticity.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an insertion groove 13b for the annular bearing 10b is formed on the end face 12b of the bushing 11 on the valve seat 3 side, which extends from the passage 2 of the main body 1 along the gap 9 at a predetermined distance. A sealing member 91 is provided adjacent to the end face 12b, and the sealing member 91 blocks the gap 9 between the pressure regulating valve body 5 and the inner wall 25 formed in the passage 2 of the main body 1.

[0042] Therefore, the sealing member 91 not only acts as a wall to prevent the annular bearing 10b inserted into the insertion groove 13b from being pulled out, but also, when pressure is applied, the annular bearing 10b is compressed by the sealing member 91 to fill the gap 9 between the pressure regulating valve body 5 and the main body 1, thereby enabling it to function as a backup ring to prevent the sealing member 91 from protruding.

[0043] Furthermore, the annular bearing 10b is prevented from dislodging by the sealing member 91, so the insertion groove 13b into which the annular bearing 10b is inserted does not need to have a flange 14a like the insertion groove 13a of the annular bearing 10a. However, by also providing a notch 101b on the annular bearing 10b like the annular bearing 10a (see reference). Figure 4 This allows it to be easily installed onto the pressure regulating valve body 5.

Claims

1. A regulator, One open end of a cylindrical passage formed through the main body serves as the inlet for high-pressure fluid, and the other open end serves as the outlet for depressurizing fluid. Inside the inlet of the passage, a pressure regulating chamber is disposed, separated by a valve seat formed by a valve seat retaining member. The valve seat retaining member has a valve seat plate on its inner side and forms a through hole in the axial direction of the passage. Between the pressure regulating chamber and the outlet in the passage, a piston pressure regulating valve, consisting of a pressure regulating valve body and a piston portion, is slidable in the axial direction of the passage. The pressure regulating valve body has a front end face that can tightly contact the valve seat plate and has a cylindrical communication passage open at both ends. The piston portion surrounds and secures the outer periphery of the outlet side of the pressure regulating valve body in the passage. The piston pressure regulating valve applies force towards the outlet direction of the passage via a pressure regulating spring. The pressure regulating spring has a predetermined load and is disposed within an atmospheric chamber. The atmospheric chamber is configured to be coaxially parallel to the pressure regulating chamber around the piston portion. High-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet is introduced into the pressure regulating chamber, which is positioned opposite the valve seat plate, through the through hole formed on the valve seat plate retaining member. The fluid passes through the pressure regulating valve body with the communicating passage and acts on the piston portion fixed to the pressure regulating valve body. The load generated by the fluid pressure acting on the piston portion is balanced by the load generated by the pressure regulating spring acting on the piston portion on the opposite side of the pressure regulating chamber. This causes a change in the opening area of ​​the valve seat plate and the pressure regulating valve body to control the fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber, thereby allowing fluid adjusted to the desired pressure to be extracted from the outlet. The regulator is characterized in that... A pair of annular bearings made of hard synthetic resin are provided at a predetermined distance along the length of the pressure regulating valve body in the gap between the pressure regulating valve body and the passage formed in the main body. One of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a first insertion groove formed on the end face of the piston portion of a bushing that extends from the passage of the body along the gap at a predetermined distance. The other of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a second insertion groove formed on the end face of the valve seat side of the bushing, which extends from the passage of the body along the gap at a predetermined distance, and a sealing member is provided adjacent to the end face of the valve seat side, the sealing member blocking the gap.

2. The regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gap is set such that when the pressure regulating valve body is tilted, the piston portion does not contact the main body.

3. The regulator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A slit is formed in a portion of the annular bearing, and at the open end of the first insertion slot, a flange for preventing the inserted annular bearing from being pulled out is provided to expand inward.

Images