Safety relief valve

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety relief valve (10) for a cover (1) of a cooking appliance, comprising a valve seat (12) arranged on a cover body and a valve body (20) fastened to the valve seat (12), the valve body (20) comprising a relief surface (22) provided with a through groove (26) dividing the relief surface into at least two parts (24), and wherein at least one part (24) forms a flap with a movable free end; a convex rib (16) is arranged on the valve seat (12), and the shape and the position of the convex rib (16) correspond to those of the through groove (26), so that the convex rib (16) can be inserted into the through groove (26) and plug the through groove (26).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety relief valve, particularly for the lid of a cooking appliance, such as the lid of a liquid heating container. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, anti-tipping liquid heating containers, such as electric kettles, are known. In order to discharge a large amount of steam generated during the liquid heating process, an exhaust passage is provided in the kettle lid to release the pressure inside the kettle. When tipping, the exhaust passage is blocked. In order to release the air pressure inside the kettle in this state, an auxiliary exhaust port and a relief valve are also provided in the technical solution of CN207309875U. The relief valve is an elastic rubber ring, which can move away from the upper end of the exhaust column under the action of air pressure to discharge gas.

[0003] In the prior art, the surface of the relief valve is usually directly cut with a knife die to form a cut. However, in the actual manufacturing process, situations such as missed processing or not cutting through may occur. Such a valve will cause the relief to fail and pose a safety risk. When it is not cut at all, it may even cause the kettle lid to be blown open due to excessive pressure inside the kettle, and hot water splashes out and injures people. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above safety problems, the present invention provides a safety relief valve for the lid of a cooking appliance, particularly for the lid of an anti-tipping kettle, which can be sealed when there is no need to relieve pressure from the valve, and can ensure the opening of the exhaust when pressure relief is required.

[0005] Specifically, the safety relief valve for the lid of a cooking appliance according to the present invention includes a valve seat provided on the lid body and a valve body fixed to the valve seat. The valve body includes a relief surface, and a through groove that divides the relief surface into at least two parts is provided on the relief surface. And at least one part forms a valve flap with a movable free end, and a rib is provided on the valve seat. The shape and position of the rib correspond to the through groove so as to be able to insert into the through groove and block the through groove.

[0006] The so-called "through groove" refers to a groove that penetrates in the thickness direction of the pressure relief surface. The through groove divides the pressure relief surface into at least two parts, and at least one of these parts forms a valve flap, that is, it has a movable free end. Thus, when the pressure inside the cooking appliance is too high, this free end moves or deforms under the action of the pressure difference, thereby opening the pressure relief valve, enabling the inside and outside of the container to communicate, and the internal gas can be discharged to reduce the pressure inside the cooking appliance. At the same time, ribs corresponding to the through groove are provided on the valve seat. When the valve body is fixed to the valve seat, the ribs are inserted into the through groove and block it, so that when it is not necessary to relieve pressure from this valve, the liquid in the container cannot overflow from the through groove of the valve body, ensuring the liquid tightness in the normal use state. Therefore, due to the setting of the through groove, the safety pressure relief valve according to the present invention can ensure safe pressure relief when needed, and due to the setting of the corresponding ribs, it can ensure sealing when pressure relief is not required, preventing liquid from overflowing.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the through groove is directly formed when the valve body is molded, which can completely avoid the valve body not being opened caused by missing processing. Or the through groove can also be punched or hollowed out after the valve body is formed.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the at least two parts are not in contact with each other at the place separated by the through groove. In other words, the through groove has a certain width, for example, 0.4 mm - 1 mm. It is different from the cut in the prior art, which can ensure the formation of the valve flap and thus ensure safe pressure relief when needed.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the valve body is detachably fixed to the valve seat. This can facilitate the replacement of the valve body when needed.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the whole valve body is made of a flexible material, or the pressure relief surface is made of a flexible material. Commonly used flexible materials are, for example, food-grade silica gel. The pressure relief surface of the valve body made of a flexible material is easy to deform under the action of the pressure difference to open the exhaust channel.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rib and the through groove are in interference fit, that is, the width of the rib is slightly larger than the width of the through groove. This is beneficial to achieving the sealing and anti-overflow effect when pressure relief is not required. Of course, other tight fit methods can also be adopted between the two.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the valve body and the valve seat respectively include positioning protrusions and positioning grooves corresponding in position and shape. When the valve body is installed on the valve seat, the positioning protrusion can be placed into the positioning groove to assist in positioning the valve body relative to the valve seat, facilitating the position correspondence between the through groove and the rib. For example, the valve body is provided with a positioning protrusion on its outer periphery, and the positioning groove of the valve seat is provided on the cover assembly where the valve seat is located.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the through groove is in a cross shape with the center of the pressure relief surface as the intersection of the cross. In this way, the through groove actually divides the pressure relief surface into four parts, each in a right-angled fan shape, with the center of the fan being the end of the movable free end. The four parts are not in contact with each other at the places separated by the through groove, so they can move or deform freely. Correspondingly, the valve seat also includes a cross-shaped rib. When the valve body is installed on the valve seat, the rib is inserted into the through groove and seals it to achieve the sealing function. The cross-shaped through groove is easy to implement, but of course it can also be designed into other shapes, such as herringbone (which divides the pressure relief surface into three non-contact parts each with a free end), T-shaped or umbrella-shaped (which divides the pressure relief surface into three non-contact parts and two of them each have a free end), C-shaped / V-shaped (which divides the pressure relief surface into two non-contact parts and one of them has a free end), or petal-shaped, etc.

[0014] It can be understood that the cover body is provided with a through pressure relief channel to allow steam to reach the pressure relief valve from inside the container. According to an embodiment, the valve seat includes a base that supports the rib, and the base partially blocks the pressure relief channel. Alternatively, the rib can also be only connected to the side wall of the pressure relief channel. And supporting the rib by the base can strengthen the stability of the rib. In addition, since the base partially blocks the pressure relief channel, when the liquid container is tilted, the liquid is blocked by the base and cannot directly reach the through groove of the valve body, further reducing the risk of liquid overflow in the container.

[0015] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of an anti-tipping kettle in the prior art.

[0017] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a safety pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is applied to Figure 1 the cover assembly shown.

[0018] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a perspective exploded view of the safety pressure relief valve shown.

[0019] Figure 4 is Figure 2 a perspective view of the inverted cover assembly shown.

[0020] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a safety pressure relief valve according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to Figure 2 but omits other parts of the cover assembly.

[0021] Figure 6 Similar to Figure 5 FIG. 3 shows a perspective schematic view of a safety relief valve according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] Cover assembly 1, Liquid passage 2, First exhaust passage 3

[0024] Second exhaust passage 4, Relief valve 5, 10, Notch 51

[0025] Valve body 20, Relief surface 22, Portion 24

[0026] Free end 240, Through groove 26, Positioning projection 28

[0027] Valve seat 12, Base 14, Rib 16

[0028] Positioning groove 18, Relief passage 6 Detailed description of the specific implementation

[0029] Here, the exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, and the examples are shown in the drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices, systems, devices, and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 1 The cover assembly 1 of the anti-tipping kettle in the prior art is shown. It should be understood that the shown cover assembly 1 is only a part of the kettle lid and needs to be assembled with other components such as an inner lid and a face lid to form the kettle lid. The cover assembly 1 includes a liquid passage 2, a first exhaust passage 3, and a second exhaust passage 4. The first exhaust passage 3 and the second exhaust passage 4 are arranged to ensure that the steam in the kettle can still be discharged outside the kettle without overflowing when the kettle is tilted. When the user pours water, both exhaust passages will be blocked, and the steam in the kettle will be discharged through the relief valve 5. As Figure 1 shown, in the prior art, only a notch 51 is formed on the valve body of the relief valve 5 by a cutting tool. Although the notch 51 divides the relief surface of the valve body into several parts, in order to seal and prevent water overflow, these parts are in contact with each other in the non-relief state. Only when the valve body is in the relief state, these parts will be separated under the action of the pressure difference.

[0031] Figure 2 And Figure 3 FIG. 4 shows a safety relief valve 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which can be applied to the cover assembly of the anti-tipping kettle shown in Figure 1 FIG. 3, and can also be applied to other cooking appliances, such as a thermal insulation kettle, a soybean milk machine, a rice cooker, etc. AsFigure 3 As shown, the safety relief valve 10 according to the present invention includes a valve seat 12 provided on the cover assembly 1 and a valve body 20 fixed to the valve seat 12. The valve seat 12 can be integrally formed with the cover assembly 1 or fixedly installed on the cover assembly 1. In this embodiment, the valve seat 12 is a cylindrical hollow body protruding from the cover body. Correspondingly, the valve body 20 is also cylindrical and is detachably fixed upside down on the valve seat 12. The valve body 20 includes a pressure relief surface 22 that constitutes the cylindrical bottom surface. In this embodiment, the entire valve body 20 is made of food-grade silica gel, for example, by injection molding. In other embodiments, only the pressure relief surface 22 may be made of a flexible material.

[0032] As Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, a through groove 26 is provided on the pressure relief surface 22, which is cross-shaped in this embodiment, so the pressure relief surface 22 is divided into four fan-shaped parts 24 ( Figure 3 only two of them are schematically indicated in the figure). The through groove 26 penetrates in the thickness direction of the pressure relief surface 22 and has a certain width, for example, 0.4 - 1 mm, such as 0.6 mm. Therefore, these four parts 24 are not in contact with each other at the places separated by the through groove 26. Each part 24 forms a valve flap with a movable free end 240. As Figure 3 shown, the free end 240 takes the center of the fan as the vertex and the radius of the fan as the side. According to a preferred embodiment, the through groove 26 is directly formed when the valve body 20 is molded, that is, a corresponding cross-shaped rib is provided in the mold for molding the valve body 20 to form the through groove 26.

[0033] Correspondingly, the valve seat 12 is provided with a rib 16, whose shape and position correspond to the through groove 26. As Figure 3 shown, it is also cross-shaped in this example. In this way, when the valve body 20 is assembled onto the valve seat 12, the rib 16 is inserted into the through groove 26 and seals the through groove 26, as Figure 2 shown. According to a preferred embodiment, the rib 16 and the through groove 26 are in interference fit, that is, the thickness of the rib 16 is slightly greater than the width of the through groove 26. This can ensure the sealing state when there is no need to relieve pressure from this valve and prevent unwanted liquid leakage.

[0034] In addition, as Figure 3 shown, the outer periphery of the valve body 20 is provided with outwardly protruding positioning protrusions 28, which are two radially opposite protrusions in this embodiment. And two positioning grooves 18 are also provided at the corresponding positions on the cover assembly 1, and each positioning groove 18 is defined by two fixing members respectively. In this way, when the valve body 20 is installed on the valve seat 12, as Figure 2As shown, the positioning protrusion 28 is inserted into the positioning groove 18 to assist in positioning the valve body 20 relative to the valve seat 12, so that the rib 16 can be more accurately inserted into the through groove 26. It can be understood that the positions of the positioning groove and the positioning protrusion can be interchanged, and the number can also be arbitrary, as long as they correspond to each other.

[0035] Figure 4 The shown cover assembly 1 is inverted, that is, the shown main body surface faces the inner space of the container. As Figure 4 more clearly shown, in addition to the liquid channel 2, the first exhaust channel 3 and the second exhaust channel 4, the cover assembly 1 further includes a through pressure relief channel 6. When it is necessary to relieve pressure from the pressure relief valve 10, the gas in the container passes through the pressure relief channel 6 to the through groove 26 of the valve body 20. According to this embodiment, the valve seat 12 includes a base 14 that supports the rib 16, and the rib 16 can be integrally formed with the base 14. In other embodiments not shown, the valve seat 12 does not include the base 14, and the rib 16 is directly formed on the side wall of the pressure relief channel 6. As Figure 4 shown, in this embodiment, the base 14 partially blocks approximately half of the area of the pressure relief channel 6. In this way, when the cooking appliance such as a kettle is tilted, the liquid will be blocked by the base 14 and cannot directly reach the through groove 26 of the valve body 20, further reducing the risk of liquid overflow in the container.

[0036] Figure 5 and Figure 6 respectively show the safety pressure relief valves 10 according to two other embodiments of the present invention. Among them Figure 5 in the shown embodiment, both the through groove 26 and the rib 16 are in a T shape. The through groove 26 divides the pressure relief surface 22 into three parts, and these parts are not in contact with each other at the places separated by the through groove 26. One of the parts is approximately semicircular, and the other two parts 24 are approximately fan-shaped and have movable free ends. Figure 6 The embodiment of Figure 5 is similar, and the only difference is that both the through groove 26 and the rib 16 are in an umbrella shape. Among the parts of the pressure relief surface 22 separated by the through groove 26, at least two have movable free ends to form valve flaps.

[0037] The pressure relief valve 10 according to the present invention is installed and operates as follows: The cylindrical valve body 20 made of flexible material is installed upside down on the cylindrical body of the valve seat 12, and the positioning protrusion 28 provided on the valve body 20 is placed into the positioning groove 28 of the valve seat 12 to accurately position the two relative to each other, so that the rib 16 of the valve seat 12 can accurately insert into the through groove 26 provided on the pressure relief surface 22 of the valve body. When the cooking appliance does not need to exhaust gas from the pressure relief valve 10, the rib 16 blocks the through groove 26 to prevent the liquid in the container from overflowing. Preferably, the base 14 of the valve seat 12 also forms a semi-blocking of the pressure relief passage 6, so that even if the cooking appliance is accidentally tilted, the liquid in the container will be partially blocked by the base 14 and cannot directly reach the through groove 26, further reducing the risk of liquid overflow in the container. When it is necessary to exhaust gas from the pressure relief valve 10, the internal pressure is greater than the external pressure, and the valve flap with a movable free end on the pressure relief surface 22 is pushed outwards under the internal and external pressure difference, thereby forming a gas passage to achieve exhaust.

[0038] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" used in this application are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0039] Spatial relative position terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "thickness", "radial", "axial", etc. used herein are for the purpose of facilitating description of the relationship of one feature relative to another as shown in the drawings and are not limited to a position or a spatial orientation. It can be understood that depending on the placement position of the product, the spatial relative position terms can be intended to include different orientations other than those shown in the drawings and should not be construed as limiting. In addition, the descriptive term "horizontal" used herein is not exactly equivalent to being perpendicular to the direction of gravity and allows for a certain angle of inclination.

[0040] Words such as "comprising" or "including" and the like mean that the elements or items appearing before "comprising" or "including" cover the elements or items listed after "comprising" or "including" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or items.

[0041] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the surface of the other element or at a distance from the surface of the other element. Terms such as "mounted", "connected", "coupled", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or communicable with each other; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0042] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature can be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a higher horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

[0043] The cooking appliance of the present invention The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A safety pressure relief valve (10) for a lid (1) of a cooking appliance, comprising a valve seat (12) provided on the lid body and a valve body (20) fixed to the valve seat (12), the valve body (20) including a pressure relief surface (22). Characterized in that: - The pressure relief surface (22) is provided with a through groove (26) that divides the pressure relief surface into at least two parts (24), and at least one of the parts (24) forms a valve flap with a movable free end. - The valve seat (12) is provided with a rib (16), and the shape and position of the rib (16) correspond to the through groove (26) so as to be able to insert into the through groove (26) and block the through groove (26).

2. The safety pressure relief valve (10) according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The through groove (26) is directly formed when the valve body (20) is molded.

3. The safety pressure relief valve (10) according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The at least two parts (24) are not in contact with each other at the place separated by the through groove (26).

4. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The valve body (20) is detachably fixed to the valve seat (12).

5. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The valve body (20) is entirely made of a flexible material, or the pressure relief surface (22) is made of a flexible material.

6. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The rib (16) and the through groove (26) are in interference fit.

7. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The valve body (20) and the valve seat (12) respectively include a positioning protrusion (28) and a positioning groove (18) corresponding in position and shape.

8. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The through groove (26) is in a cross shape with the center of the pressure relief surface (22) as the intersection of the cross.

9. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The through groove (26) is in a herringbone shape or a T shape.

10. The safety pressure relief valve according to claim 1 or 2, Characterized in that, The valve seat includes a base (14) that supports the rib, and the base (14) partially blocks the pressure relief passage.

Images