Adapter element and valve link plate for a valve device

Abstract

The invention relates to an adapter element for a valve arrangement and a valve manifold, the adapter element having a housing with a first housing part and a second housing part, the housing being penetrated by a fluid channel fluidically connecting a first connection interface configured on the first housing part with a second connection interface configured on the second housing part, wherein the first connection interface is designed for connection with the valve arrangement, wherein the second connection interface is designed for fluidic connection with a fluid connector and for securing the fluid connector on the second housing part, wherein a first central axis of the first housing part and a second central axis of the second housing part are clamped at an angle in the interval between 60° and 120°.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an adapter element for fluidly connecting a fluid line to a valve device. Background Technology

[0002] Adapter elements (also known as connectors) are used to connect valve devices (such as valve assemblies) to various systems that require the use of the valve assembly without requiring any modifications to the valve assembly itself. For example, adapter elements can be designed as so-called plug connectors, where a fluid connection can be established between the valve assembly and the system's fluid lines (e.g., designed as hoses) through a suitable connection interface. The valve device socket into which the adapter element inserts, and thus also called a connector receptacle, is typically located on the end face of the valve device. Depending on the installation, the connector receptacle located on the end face of the valve device may be difficult to reach, making it difficult for the user to establish and / or disconnect the fluid connection. This can also lead to bending of the fluid lines, even if they are designed as hoses, if they extend not perpendicular to the end face of the valve device in the end face region. Therefore, so-called elbow connectors are used for this purpose. Elbow connectors are adapter elements whose housings have a first part and a second part oriented at an angle to each other. Because these elbow connectors have a fixed net width, meaning they can only connect fluid lines with an outer diameter equal to the net width of the elbow connector, the entire elbow connector must be replaced to connect fluid lines with different outer diameters. However, this is troublesome, depending on the installation situation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve the modularity of fluid connections.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the present invention provides an adapter element for fluidly connecting a fluid line to a valve device. The adapter element has a housing having a first housing portion and a second housing portion, through which a fluid channel passes. The fluid channel fluidly connects a first connection interface constructed on the first housing portion to a second connection interface constructed on the second housing portion. The first connection interface is designed for connection to the valve device, and the second connection interface is designed for fluidly connecting to and securing a fluid connector to the second housing portion. The first central axis of the first housing portion and the second central axis of the second housing portion are angled within a range of 60° and 120°.

[0005] For example, to achieve a connection between the adapter element and the connector socket of the valve device, a first connection interface can, for example, be at least partially inserted into the connector socket. For this purpose, it is possible, for example, to design the connector socket as a mating connector, into which the first connection interface is moved perpendicular to the upper side (e.g., end face) of the valve device towards the valve device. A second connection interface is designed to fluidly connect with and fix the fluid connector. "Fixed" means that the fluid connector can no longer translate relative to the adapter element. It is also sufficient that translational movement is only feasible to a certain extent, such that the fluid connector channel through the fluid connector remains fluidly connected to the channel of the adapter element. Depending on the specific design of the second connection interface and / or the receiving section formed on the fluid connector, rotational movement of the fluid connector can be permitted or prevented.

[0006] The fluid connector is adapted to fluid lines requiring fluid connection with a valve device. Therefore, by using an adapter element designed according to the invention, disconnecting the fluid connector from the second connection interface and replacing it with another fluid connector, the valve device can be adapted to new fluid lines, for example, with different outer diameters. Thus, for example, it is possible to apply a valve device previously used in a system with imperial fluid lines to a system with metric fluid lines by simply changing the fluid connector. Furthermore, the bend design of the adapter element allows it to rotate, making the connection interface easily accessible to the user, and preventing excessive bending or kinking of the fluid line connected to the valve device during use.

[0007] Preferably, the angle between the first central axis of the first housing portion and the second central axis of the second housing portion is 90°. Thus, for example, it can be achieved that when the connector socket is constructed on the end face, the second connection interface is accessible from the upper side of the valve device, perpendicular to the end face, allowing the user to easily reach the second connection interface.

[0008] The second connection interface preferably has a retaining element receiving portion, particularly a recess, for accommodating a retaining element, especially a retaining clip, wherein, more preferably, the retaining element can be partially inserted into the retaining element receiving portion and the receiving section of the fluid connector to secure the fluid connector. This is particularly advantageous when the first connection interface and the fluid connector are designed for a mating connection (where separation is prevented solely by the retaining element). The receiving section can here be designed as a radially surrounding groove on the cylindrical portion of the connector, wherein, when the fluid connector is connected to the connection interface, the cylindrical portion of the connector is at least partially accommodated within the connection interface. In the case of a radially surrounding groove, rotation of the fluid connector is not impeded. Alternative designs for preventing rotation of the receiving section and / or the retaining element are conceivable.

[0009] In another preferred design, the first connection interface has a thread. This thread is designed for insertion into a correspondingly threaded connector socket. Preferably, the pitch of the corresponding thread can be selected to provide self-locking, thereby securing the adapter element in the connector socket without the need for additional fixing elements.

[0010] In one design of the adapter element, the first connection interface has a helical groove or a locking element that protrudes radially relative to the first housing portion. Therefore, the adapter element can be connected to a connector socket designed as a bayonet joint, which has a receiving locking element inserted into the helical groove, or has a receiving helical groove into which the locking element can be inserted.

[0011] Advantageously, the first connection interface is designed for a plug-in connection, wherein the first connection interface has a recess (especially a radially circumferential groove) into which a retaining element (especially a retaining clip) can be inserted. In this way, the adapter element can be easily inserted into the connector socket and secured therein by the retaining element. For this purpose, it is preferable to construct the adapter retaining interface in the region of the connector socket, which is preferably constructed in the form of a recess. Therefore, after the adapter element is connected to the connector socket via the first connection interface, the adapter element can be secured by inserting the retaining element into the adapter retaining interface and locking it therein. In this locked state, the retaining mechanism extends both in the adapter retaining interface and within the recess of the adapter element, thereby indirectly and mechanically connecting the adapter element to the adapter retaining interface, and correspondingly to the valve device. If it is necessary to separate the adapter element from the valve device, the retaining clip must first be released from the locking mechanism and removed. Advantageously, the adapter interface can be constructed on the valve device, allowing the user to easily reach the retaining element from the same spatial direction as the fluid conduit.

[0012] Advantageously, the second connection interface is designed to correspond to the first connection interface. "Corresponding" here means that the geometry of the second connection interface is designed to be similar to the corresponding geometry of the first connection interface. For example, the inner diameter of the second connection interface corresponds to the outer diameter of the first connection interface, thereby allowing the first connection interface to be inserted into the second connection interface. With this design, the adapter element or fluid connector according to the invention can be inserted accordingly into the connector socket of the valve device. If the valve device has multiple connector sockets, any combination of adapter elements and fluid connectors can be used to fluidly connect the valve device to a fluid line.

[0013] Furthermore, advantageously, the first housing portion extends along the first central axis longer than the second housing portion extends along the second central axis. This achieves an L-shaped design for the adapter element, where various different adapter elements are used, for example, some of which have the same extension length for the first and second housing portions, while others have the aforementioned different extension lengths for the first and second housing portions. This is particularly advantageous for valve devices with multiple spaced-apart connector sockets, because when using different adapter housings, the user can still reach the fluid connector without being blocked by the fluid connector connected to other adapter elements, and / or unable to insert other adapter elements.

[0014] The above objective is also achieved by a valve manifold used in a valve device, the valve manifold having a first connector socket constructed on an end face of a valve disc and a second connector socket constructed on the end face and spaced apart from the first connector socket, wherein the first connector socket and the second connector socket are respectively designed to accommodate the adapter element according to the invention.

[0015] Valve manifolds are particularly useful in valve devices composed of multiple modular elements arranged sequentially and fluidly connected along the same spatial direction. For example, such a valve device consists of a supply plate, an end plate, and several valve discs, with the end plate spaced apart from the supply plate in the spatial direction in which the modular elements are arranged sequentially. Each valve disc comprises a valve element and a valve manifold, wherein various fluid channels, also referred to as plate channels, are provided within the valve manifold. These plate channels connect the corresponding valve disc to the supply plate, end plate, and / or adjacent valve discs, and connect the valve elements arranged on the valve manifold to connection sockets constructed on the end face of the valve manifold, particularly a first and a second connection socket. For example, a valve device designed in this way would be connected to a system via the first and second connection sockets. The supply plate has a connection port for connecting to a fluid source, such as supplying compressed air to the valve device. Vacuum applications are also conceivable, where the supply plate can be connected to a fluid collector (rather than a fluid source) to provide a vacuum.

[0016] Preferably, the first adapter element is disposed in the first connector socket of the valve manifold, and the second adapter element is disposed in the second connector socket of the valve manifold, wherein the extension length of the first housing portion of the first adapter element is greater than the extension length of the first housing portion of the second adapter element. This prevents the adapter elements from interfering with each other, and allows the user to easily access the fluid connector connected to the adapter elements.

[0017] Preferably, the second connection interface of the first adapter element and / or the second connection interface of the second adapter element are oriented towards the upper or lower side of the valve plate. This allows access to the corresponding connection interface of the corresponding adapter element from either the upper or lower direction, wherein the orientation can be selected based on the spatial direction in which the corresponding fluid conduit extends to the valve device.

[0018] Preferably, the first connector socket is selected from the group consisting of screw-in connector sockets, bayonet connector sockets, and insert connector sockets; the second connector socket is selected from the group consisting of screw-in connector sockets, bayonet connector sockets, and insert connector sockets. By appropriately selecting the first and second connector sockets, the valve manifold can be adapted to the intended application location, and in particular to the connectors expected to be required at that application location.

[0019] Furthermore, preferably, an adapter fixing interface is formed on the end face, extending at least partially through the area of ​​the first connector socket and at least partially through the area of ​​the second connector socket. This adapter fixing interface is designed to accommodate a fixing element, particularly in the form of a clip, for jointly securing the adapter element housed in the first connector socket and the adapter element housed in the second connector socket. This allows the user to simultaneously secure the adapter element in the first connector socket and the adapter element housed in the second connector socket, or to release the connection. This particularly reduces the assembly workload of valve devices with multiple valve discs having both a first connector socket and a second connector socket. Preferably, the adapter fixing interface is arranged on the end face so that the user can reach the fixing element from a spatial direction from which fluid lines extend to or connect to the valve device. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which...

[0021] Figure 1 A perspective view of a valve assembly designed as a valve group, which has multiple valve discs arranged sequentially along a column direction;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a side view of the valve manifold of a valve assembly, which has two adapter elements in a first orientation.

[0023] Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of the adapter components; and

[0024] Figure 4 This is a side view of the valve manifold of the valve assembly, which has two adapter elements in a second direction. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a valve device 1, which, purely exemplarily, comprises a supply plate 2, end plates 3 spaced apart from the supply plate 2, and four valve discs 4 arranged between the supply plate 2 and the end plates 3. The supply plate 2, valve discs 4, and end plates 3 are currently designed in a modular fashion and arranged sequentially along a spatial direction. For example, this spatial direction may be referred to as the transverse direction of the illustrated valve device 1, with the height direction of the illustrated valve device 1 extending orthogonally to this transverse direction. The longitudinal direction of the illustrated valve device 1 extends orthogonally to both the transverse and height directions.

[0026] The horizontal direction (also known as the x-direction), the vertical direction (also known as the y-direction), and the vertical direction (also known as the z-direction) together define a Cartesian coordinate system.

[0027] A supply connector 6, designed as a plug-in connector, is arranged in the region of the end face 5 of the supply plate 2, through which compressed air can be supplied to the valve device 1, for example. In order to deliver compressed air internally, the supply plate 2, valve disc 4, and end plate 3 are fluidly connected through a fluid channel (not shown).

[0028] The valve disc 4 shown is formed, for example, by valve elements 7 and valve manifolds 8 that are fluidly connected to each other. First connector sockets 10 and second connector sockets 11, respectively, are constructed on the respective end faces 9 of the corresponding valve manifolds 8 to accommodate adapter elements 12. The valve manifolds 8 are respectively traversed by fluid channels, also referred to as plate channels, which fluidly connect the respective valve manifolds 8 to the supply plate 1, end plate 3, and / or adjacent valve manifolds 8, and establish fluid connections between the valve elements 7 and the first connector sockets 10 and second connector sockets 11 constructed on the end faces 9. The valve elements 7 are respectively positioned on the upper side 13 of the valve manifolds 8. Figure 2 For example, at least one valve element 7 can be arranged in the corresponding valve disc 4, which enables the compressed air material flow to be directed to the first connector socket 10 in a first switching state and to the second connector socket 11 in a second switching state. Other and / or alternative switching states are also conceivable.

[0029] Figure 2 A side view of a single valve manifold 8 of a valve assembly 1 is shown as an example. This is purely illustrative. Figure 2 The diagram shows a single plate channel 14 extending laterally through the valve manifold 8. The upper side 13 of the valve manifold 8 is formed by a first upper portion 15 and a second upper portion 16, wherein the first upper portion 15 and the second upper portion 16 are currently spaced apart from each other along the y-axis. The corresponding valve element 7 (not shown in detail) is therefore designed to be generally L-shaped.

[0030] As in Figure 2 As can be seen, the adapter element 12 partially housed in the first connector socket 10 and the adapter element 12 partially housed in the second connector socket 11 have different designs. For ease of distinction, the adapter element 12 housed in the first connector socket 10 is referred to as the first adapter element 12, and the adapter element 12 housed in the second connector socket 11 is referred to as the second adapter element 12. However, it is also conceivable that the first adapter element 12 and the second adapter element 12 are designed identically. The second adapter element 12 is also present in the adapter assembly. Figure 3 The exploded diagram shown is illustrated below.

[0031] Both adapter elements 12 have a housing 17 formed by a first housing portion 18 and a second housing portion 19. The first housing portion 18 and the second housing portion 19 are exemplary oriented relative to each other such that a first central axis 20 of the first housing portion 18 and a second central axis 21 of the second housing portion 19 form an angle. In the illustrated embodiment of the adapter element 12, this angle is 90 degrees, but in principle it can be in the range of 60 to 120 degrees. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the angle of the first adapter element 12 is different from the angle of the second adapter element 12.

[0032] A first connection interface 22 is formed at the end of the first housing portion 18 opposite to the second housing portion 19. The first connection interface 22 is exemplary designed for a plug-in connection for a fluid connection between the first adapter element 12 and the first connector socket 10, wherein the first connection interface 22 has a cylindrical portion 23 configured to be received in a correspondingly constructed opening (not shown) in the first connector socket 10. To achieve a fluid seal for the connection, a sealing ring 25 is provided, which is received in a sealing groove 24 constructed on the cylindrical portion 23 of the first connection interface 22, and may in particular be made of a rubber-elastic material. A recess 26 in the form of a radially surrounding groove is formed on the cylindrical portion 23 of the first connection interface 22, spaced apart from the sealing groove 24 along a first central axis 20, into which a fixing element 27 for securing the adapter element 12 is inserted. The fixing element 27 is currently exemplary designed as a fixing clip. In the illustrated embodiment, "secured" means that the adapter element 12 is no longer able to translate longitudinally relative to the end face 9 of the valve plate 8. However, rotation about the first central axis 20 is still possible and allows the corresponding adapter element 12 to rotate in the first connector socket 10 or the second connector socket 11 for alignment.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, a recessed adapter fixing interface 28 is formed on the end face 9 of the corresponding valve plate 8. This adapter fixing interface partially extends through the area of ​​the first connector socket 10 and partially through the area of ​​the second connector socket 11. The adapter fixing interface 28 is designed to partially accommodate fixing elements 27 (also referred to as adapter fixing elements), and currently fixes the first adapter element 12 in the first connector socket 10 and the second adapter element 12 in the second connector socket 11. Therefore, the first adapter element 12 and the second adapter element 12 are jointly fixed. Therefore, if it is necessary to replace the first adapter element 12 and the second adapter element 12, only one of the fixing elements 27 needs to be removed. Here, "removal" refers, for example, to a translational displacement of the fixing element 27 along the height direction, so that the fixing element 27 is no longer inserted into the recess 26 of the first adapter element 12 and the second adapter element 12.

[0034] At the end of the second housing portion 19 opposite to the first housing portion 18, a second connection interface 29 is provided, in which a fluid connector 30, for example, can be accommodated. The fluid connector 30 is designed, for example, as a plug-in connector, which can be fluidly connected to a fluid line (not shown), particularly in the form of a hose. For example, a pneumatic actuator (not shown) can be fluidly connected to each valve disc 4 in this way and perform actions related to switching states.

[0035] The exemplary fluid connector 30 has a connector cylindrical portion 33 that can be accommodated in a second connection interface 29. A retaining element receiving portion 31 in the form of a recess is formed at the second connection interface 29, into which a retaining element 32 can be partially inserted. In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining element 32 is designed as a retaining clip. To secure the fluid connector 30 in the second connection interface 29, a receiving section 34 designed as a radially surrounding groove is provided on the connector cylindrical portion 33, into which the retaining element 32 can be partially inserted when the fluid connector 30 is accommodated in the second connection interface 29. Here, "secured" means, for example, that the fluid connector 30 can no longer translate relative to the adapter element 12 in the height direction. However, rotation about the second central axis 21 is still possible. However, it is also conceivable that rotation can be secured by correspondingly designing the receiving section 34 of the fluid connector 30.

[0036] To achieve a fluid seal for the connection, a sealing ring 36 is provided, which is received in a sealing groove 35 constructed on the connector cylindrical portion 33 of the fluid connector 30, and may be made of a rubber elastic material. The sealing groove 35 is provided on the connector cylindrical portion 33 of the fluid connector 30 at a distance from the recess 34.

[0037] A fluid connector 30 is penetrated by a fluid connection channel 37, which is fluidly connected to a fluid channel 38 passing through the housing 17 of the adapter element 12 when the fluid connector 30 is accommodated in the second connection interface 29. The fluid channel 38 connects the first connection interface 22 and the second connection interface 29.

[0038] In the illustrated embodiment of adapter element 12, the first connection interface 22 and the second connection interface 29 are designed to correspond to each other, such that the first connection interface 22 can be inserted into the second connection interface 29. Since the fluid connector 30 is designed to connect to the second connection interface 29, in the illustrated corresponding design of the first connection interface 22 and the second connection interface 29, the fluid connector 30 is designed similarly to the first connection interface 22, and therefore can also be arranged in the first connector socket 10 or the second connector socket 11. Therefore, it is currently possible to selectively equip the valve disc 4 for connecting the exemplary valve device 1 to the respective first connector socket 10 and second connector socket 11 with adapter element 12, a combination of adapter element 12 and fluid connector 30, or only with fluid connector 30.

[0039] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the first adapter element 12 and the second adapter element 12 are arranged such that their respective second connection interfaces 29 face the upper side 13 of the valve plate 8. Therefore, their respective second connection interfaces 29 are accessible from the upper side 13 of the valve plate 8. Alternatively, the first adapter element 12 and / or the second adapter element 12 may face the lower side 39 of the valve plate 8. Figure 4 Another embodiment is shown, in which the first adapter element 12 is housed in the first connector socket 10 of the valve manifold 8 such that the second connection interface 29 of the first adapter element 12 faces the lower side 39 of the valve manifold 8.

Claims

1. An adapter element (12) for fluidly connecting a fluid line to a valve device (1), the adapter element having a housing (17) having a first housing portion (18) and a second housing portion (19), the housing being traversed by a fluid passage (38) that fluidly connects a first connection interface (22) constructed on the first housing portion (18) to a second connection interface (29) constructed on the second housing portion (19), wherein, The first connection interface (22) is designed to connect to the valve device (1), wherein the second connection interface (29) is designed to fluidly connect to the fluid connector (30) and fix the fluid connector (30) to the second housing part (19), wherein the first central axis (20) of the first housing part (18) and the second central axis (21) of the second housing part (19) are clamped at an angle between 60° and 120°.

2. The adapter element according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle between the first central axis (20) of the first housing part (18) and the second central axis (21) of the second housing part (19) is 90°.

3. The adapter element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second connection interface (29) has a fixing element receiving portion (31), particularly a recess, for receiving fixing elements (27), particularly fixing clips.

4. The adapter element according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fixing element (27) can be partially inserted into the fixing element receiving portion (31) and the receiving section (34) of the fluid connector (30) to fix the fluid connector (30).

5. The adapter element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first connection interface (22) has threads.

6. The adapter element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first connection interface (22) has a spiral groove or a locking element that protrudes radially relative to the first housing portion (18).

7. The adapter element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first connection interface (22) is designed for plug-in connection, wherein the first connection interface (22) has a recess, particularly a radial circumferential groove, into which a fixing element (27), particularly a fixing clip, can be inserted.

8. The adapter element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The second connection interface (29) is designed to correspond to the first connection interface (22).

9. The adapter element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The first housing portion (18) extends along the first central axis (20) for a greater length than the second housing portion (19) extends along the second central axis (21).

10. A valve manifold (8) for use in a valve device (1), the valve manifold having a first connector socket (10) constructed on an end face (9) of a valve disc (4) and a second connector socket (11) constructed on the end face (9) and spaced apart from the first connector socket (10), characterized in that, The first connector socket (10) and the second connector socket (11) are respectively designed to accommodate the adapter element (12) according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. The valve connecting plate according to claim 10, characterized in that, A first adapter element (12) is disposed in the first connector socket (10), and a second adapter element (12) is disposed in the second connector socket (11), wherein the extension length of the first housing portion (18) of the first adapter element (12) is greater than the extension length of the first housing portion (18) of the second adapter element (12).

12. The valve connecting plate according to claim 11, characterized in that, The second connection interface (29) of the first adapter element (12) and / or the second connection interface (29) of the second adapter element (12) are oriented toward the upper side (13) or lower side (39) of the valve plate (8).

13. The valve connecting plate according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The first connector socket (10) is selected from the group consisting of screw-in connector sockets, bayonet connector sockets and plug-in connector sockets; the second connector socket (11) is selected from the group consisting of screw-in connector sockets, bayonet connector sockets and plug-in connector sockets.

14. The valve plate according to any one of claims 10 to 13, in conjunction with any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein, An adapter fixing interface (28) is formed on the end face (9), the adapter fixing interface extending at least partially through the area of ​​the first connector socket (10) and at least partially through the area of ​​the second connector socket (11), the adapter fixing interface being designed to accommodate a fixing element (32) in the form of a fixing clip, for jointly fixing the adapter element (12) accommodated in the first connector socket (10) and the adapter element (12) accommodated in the second connector socket (11).

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