Valve element for switch assembly

Abstract

The utility model provides a valve core for a switch assembly. The valve core comprises a shaft seat, a mandrel, an oil seal, a gasket and a lock cover, the mandrel penetrates through and is screwed on the shaft seat, the top end is provided with a connecting part, and the bottom end is provided with a sealing washer; the oil seal is accommodated in a positioning groove at the top end of the shaft seat and is sleeved on the mandrel in a penetrating manner, and the top end of the oil seal is provided with a positioning convex part and an annular conical outer wall surface; the gasket is contained in the positioning groove and penetrates through the mandrel in a sleeved mode, an annular cone-shaped inner wall face is formed at the bottom end of the gasket and can abut against the annular cone-shaped outer wall face of the oil seal in a matched mode, and an annular cone-shaped packing outer wall face is further formed on the periphery of the top end of the gasket. And the lock cover is sleeved on the mandrel in a penetrating manner and is screwed at the top end of the shaft seat, and an annular cone-shaped packing inner wall surface is formed at the bottom end of the lock cover and can be used for being attached to and packing the annular cone-shaped packing outer wall surface, so that the oil seal and the gasket are fixed in the positioning groove of the shaft seat in a packing and good sealing manner, and water leakage is prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a water outlet accessory for a kitchen or a bathroom, in particular to a valve core for a switch assembly. Background Art

[0002] Valve cores are widely used in various kitchen or bathroom water outlet devices. The types and forms of the water outlet devices are quite diverse, such as Figure 1 、 2 The figure shows a switch assembly 1 of a common water outlet device, which includes a valve core 10 having a shaft seat 11, a positioning groove 111 being recessed at the top of the shaft seat 11; a spindle 12 extending through and screwed into the shaft seat 11, having a connecting portion 121 at its top and a sealing gasket 122 extending through and locked at its bottom; a graphite oil seal 13 nested on the spindle 12 and accommodated and positioned in the positioning groove 111 at the top of the shaft seat 11; and a locking cover 14 screwed into the top of the shaft seat 11 to tighten and fix the graphite oil seal 13 in the positioning groove 111 of the shaft seat 11. A valve seat 20 has a water inlet 21, a water chamber 22, and a water outlet 23 that are interconnected. The top of the water chamber 22 has a valve mounting port 221 for threaded attachment to the shaft seat 11 of the valve core 10. A water seal 24 is threaded onto the bottom of the valve seat 20. The water seal 24 has a water hole 241. A sealing portion 242 is formed around the top opening of the water hole 241. The sealing gasket 122 is detachably sealed against the sealing portion 242, thereby preventing water flowing from the water inlet 21 into the water chamber 22 from flowing toward the water outlet 23. A shaft sleeve 30 is threadedly connected to the outside of the shaft seat 11, so that at least the main portion of the valve core 10 is concealed within the shaft sleeve 30. A handle 40 can be rotatably locked to the connection portion 121 at the top of the spindle 12, allowing the spindle 12 to move longitudinally up and down along the shaft seat 11, thereby switching the water flowing from the water inlet 21 into the water chamber 22 to flow to the water outlet 23.

[0003] The switch assembly 1 is often used in wall-mounted faucets, for example, serving as a cold water switch and a hot water switch. Users can manipulate the two switch assemblies 1 to control the flow of cold and hot water, as well as the temperature of the mixed water. The water then flows out through at least one water outlet, such as a shower or faucet. Therefore, if used in a wall-mounted faucet, the sleeve 30 is typically fitted with a decorative cover 31 to seal against the outer surface of the corresponding wall. The switch assembly 1 is described above in an upright position. It is understood that when used in a wall-mounted faucet, the switch assembly 1 is installed in a horizontal position, and some components, including the valve seat 20, are located within a wall hole or on the inner side of the wall within the decorative cover 31. Of course, the switch assembly 1 is not limited to use in wall-mounted faucets; it is also widely applicable to other types of water outlet devices, and will not be described in detail here.

[0004] It is noteworthy that the valve core 10 utilizes a graphite oil seal 13 fixed within the positioning groove 111 at the top of the shaft seat 11. This seal primarily prevents water from leaking out of the water passage chamber 22 through the threaded connection between the spindle 12 and the shaft seat 11. As is well known, graphite oil seals 13 are a common sealing material, generally exhibiting excellent self-lubrication, wear resistance, high thermal conductivity, and low expansion coefficient. However, graphite oil seals 13 suffer from impurity resistance. When used with ultrapure water or at temperatures below 16°C, the resin binder can be released in large quantities due to water drying (creating electrical resistance) or excessively low temperatures, ultimately leading to degradation. Consequently, after a period of use, when the graphite oil seal 13 is removed from the positioning groove 111, this release of resin binder often causes it to adhere tightly to the seal, making it difficult to remove for repair and replacement.

[0005] Although the graphite oil seal 13 has good wear resistance, once it deteriorates, its wear resistance will be affected, resulting in a gap between the graphite oil seal 13 and the outer peripheral wall of the spindle 12 due to wear. When the user rotates the spindle 12 through the handle 40, the spindle 12 is prone to shaking, which affects the sealing effect and even causes water leakage. Even if the graphite oil seal 13 can be tightened by operating the locking cover 14, the graphite oil seal 13 itself has a low elastic deformation and the sealing effect is poor after deterioration. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the problem of poor sealing by re-operating the locking method. Utility Model Content

[0006] The main purpose of the present utility model is to provide a valve core for a switch assembly, which not only can achieve a good sealing effect to prevent water leakage and overflow, but also can restore or maintain the sealing structure in a sealed state by adjusting the operating tightening force, thereby extending its service life. It is also easy to assemble, quickly and accurately, and can be easily disassembled during maintenance or replacement.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the utility model provides a valve core for a switch assembly, comprising:

[0008] An axle seat, with a positioning groove recessed on the top end;

[0009] A spindle extends through and is threadedly engaged with the shaft seat, with a connecting portion at the top and a sealing gasket at the bottom;

[0010] An oil seal is accommodated and positioned in the positioning groove of the shaft seat and has a set hole for being inserted into the spindle. A positioning protrusion is formed around the top of the set hole, and an annular conical outer wall is formed on the positioning protrusion;

[0011] A liner is positioned in the positioning groove of the shaft seat and has an axial hole for being inserted into the spindle. The bottom end of the axial hole is formed with an annular conical inner wall surface that can fit snugly against the annular conical outer wall surface. The top end of the liner is further formed with an annular conical pressing outer wall surface.

[0012] A locking cover is sleeved on the outside of the spindle and screwed on the top of the shaft seat. The bottom end of the locking cover is formed with an annular conical tightening inner wall surface, which can be fitted and tightened on the annular conical tightening outer wall surface of the gasket. On the one hand, the oil seal and the gasket are tightened and fixed in the positioning groove of the shaft seat. On the other hand, a sealing effect can be generated in the positioning groove to prevent water from entering from the bottom of the spindle and leaking upward.

[0013] In some embodiments, the top end of the oil seal of the valve core of the switch assembly further forms an annular upper plane on the periphery of its positioning protrusion; the bottom end of the gasket further forms an annular lower plane on the periphery of its annular conical inner wall surface for fitting with the annular upper plane.

[0014] In some embodiments, a cone-shaped guide wall is formed on the periphery of the bottom end of the oil seal of the switch assembly valve core so that the oil seal can be guided into the positioning groove.

[0015] In some embodiments, a plurality of grooves are distributed along the annular shape on the top of the gasket of the valve core for the switch assembly. The grooves pass through the annular cone-shaped pressing outer wall surface and connect the outer peripheral wall of the gasket with the internal shaft hole.

[0016] In some embodiments, the gasket of the valve core for the switch assembly forms an annular plane around the top end of its shaft hole, the annular cone-shaped tightening outer wall surface is connected to the annular plane, and the groove passes through the annular plane.

[0017] In some embodiments, a positioning groove is further provided at the center of the bottom wall of the shaft seat positioning groove of the valve core for the switch assembly, for nesting and positioning a sealing ring, which is sealed and sleeved on the core shaft.

[0018] In some embodiments, the oil seal of the valve core for the switch assembly is made of an integral piece of ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) material.

[0019] In some embodiments, the gasket of the valve core for the switch assembly is made of an integral piece of polyoxymethylene (POM) material.

[0020] The cam is pressed against the cam face of the valve core, and the cam face is pressed against the cam face by the cam, so that the cam face is pressed against the cam face of the valve core.

[0021] Secondly, after the valve core has been used for a period of time, the sealing performance may be reduced due to the loosening of the oil seal. At this time, the locking cover can be locked again to restore the oil seal or increase the deformation, thereby maintaining a good sealing state again and extending the service life.

[0022] Furthermore, the annular conical inner wall surface of the gasket and the positioning protrusion design of the oil seal also help the oil seal to be accurately and firmly forced to be positioned in the center position, which is conducive to fast and accurate assembly and positioning, and is also beneficial to the sealing effect produced after subsequent tightening.

[0023] Furthermore, based on the material properties of the gasket and the oil seal, when the user wants to repair or replace the gasket or the oil seal, the gasket or the oil seal can be easily removed without being tightly adhered and difficult to remove as in the conventional method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional valve core along the axial direction.

[0026] Figure 2 To utilize Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of the switch assembly consisting of a valve core.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional appearance combination diagram of the valve core of the utility model.

[0028] Figure 4 To follow Figure 3 A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the valve core in the axial direction.

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Exploded perspective view of the valve core.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional exploded view of the oil seal and gasket of the utility model.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the combined state of the oil seal and the gasket of the utility model.

[0032] Figure 8 To utilize Figure 3 A longitudinal sectional view of the switch assembly consisting of a valve core.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the valve core of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by this application more clearly understood, this application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0035] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being “fixed on” or “disposed on” another element, it may be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0036] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0038] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0039] like Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the present invention provides a preferred embodiment of a valve core for a switch assembly. The valve core 2 of this embodiment mainly includes a shaft seat 50, a spindle 60, an oil seal 70, a gasket 80 and a lock cover 90; wherein:

[0040] The shaft seat 50 has a positioning groove 51 formed on the top thereof.

[0041] The spindle 60 extends through and is threadedly engaged with the shaft seat 50. It has a connection portion 61 at its top and a sealing gasket 62 at its bottom. The connection portion 61 is typically designed with a threaded hole 611. The sealing gasket 62 is typically secured to the bottom of the spindle 60 using a fastener 621 that passes through the sealing gasket 62.

[0042] The oil seal 70, such as Figure 6 、 7 As shown, it can be accommodated and positioned in the positioning groove 51 of the shaft seat 50, and has a sleeve hole 71 for sleeved on the core shaft 60. A positioning protrusion 72 is formed around the top of the sleeve hole 71, and a conical outer wall surface 721 is formed on the positioning protrusion 72.

[0043] It should be noted that the oil seal 70 of this embodiment can be made of EPDM material. EPDM, also known as ethylene propylene rubber (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Rubber), is a synthetic rubber material with excellent weather resistance, corrosion resistance, temperature resistance and elasticity. Therefore, it is widely used in various products with high requirements for sealing and durability, for example, it is often used in water pipes in kitchens or bathroom products.

[0044] The gasket 80 can be accommodated and positioned in the positioning groove 51 of the shaft seat 50, and has an axial hole 81 for being inserted into the central shaft 60. A conical inner wall surface 82 is formed around the bottom end of the axial hole 81, which can fit snugly against the conical outer wall surface 721. A conical tightening outer wall surface 83 is further formed on the outer periphery of the top end of the gasket 80.

[0045] The gasket 80 of this embodiment can be made of POM material. POM stands for polyoxymethylene, also known as polyoxymethylene, polyacetal, and plastic steel. It is a type of crystalline plastic. It is strong, rigid, and has high mechanical strength. Therefore, it has good sliding properties, excellent wear resistance, and low water absorption. It is a frequently used engineering material.

[0046] The lock cover 90 is sleeved on the outside of the spindle 60 and screwed to the top of the shaft seat 50. The bottom end of the lock cover 90 is formed with a ring-cone-shaped tightening inner wall surface 91 for fitting and tightening the ring-cone-shaped tightening outer wall surface 83. Figure 4 As shown, the oil seal 70 and gasket 80 are compressed and fixed within the positioning groove 51 of the shaft seat 50. Furthermore, a sealing effect is generated within the positioning groove 51, thereby preventing water from entering from below the spindle 60 and leaking upward. Furthermore, the locking force of the locking cap 90 indirectly locks the oil seal 70 securely in place through the gasket 80 and forces the oil seal 70 to deform appropriately, thereby achieving a good sealing effect in both radial and longitudinal directions to prevent water from leaking outward.

[0047] In this embodiment, the top end of the oil seal 70 is further formed with an annular upper plane 73 on the periphery of its positioning protrusion 72; the bottom end of the gasket 80 is further formed with an annular lower plane 84 on the periphery of its annular conical inner wall surface 82 for fitting against the annular upper plane 73. In this way, in addition to being able to be pressed and positioned by the annular conical inner wall surface 82 and the positioning protrusion 72 of the oil seal 70 including the annular conical outer wall surface 721, the gasket 80 can also improve the tightness and sealing between them by the mutual fit and tightening of the annular lower plane 84 and the annular upper plane 73.

[0048] In this embodiment, a conical guide wall 74 is formed on the periphery of the bottom end of the oil seal 70 to help the oil seal 70 be smoothly guided into the positioning groove 51 during the assembly process to prevent it from being misassembled, offset or damaged by improper squeezing.

[0049] In this embodiment, the top of the gasket 80 is annularly distributed with a plurality of cutout grooves 85. The cutout grooves 85 pass through the annular conical pressing outer wall surface 83 and connect the outer peripheral wall 86 of the gasket 80 with the internal shaft hole 81. It is readily understood that the gasket 80 can be integrally formed of polyoxymethylene (POM) material, which has high rigidity and high mechanical strength. Although this material provides support, excessive rigidity is not conducive to generating the appropriate elastic deformation required to compress the oil seal 70. Therefore, the cutout grooves 85 allow the gasket 80 to deform appropriately when pressed by the locking cover 90, particularly deformation in the inward oblique direction. This deformation indirectly helps to enhance the sealing performance of the oil seal 70 in both the radial and longitudinal directions.

[0050] In this embodiment, the gasket 80 is formed with an annular plane 87 around the top end of the axial hole 81 thereof, the annular conical pressing outer wall surface 83 is connected to the annular plane 87 , and the cutout groove 85 passes through the annular plane 87 .

[0051] In this embodiment, a positioning groove 52 is further provided at the center of the bottom wall of the positioning groove 51 of the shaft seat 50, for nesting and positioning a sealing ring 53. Figure 4 As shown, the sealing ring 53 is tightly sleeved on the spindle 60, thereby strengthening the sealing effect around the spindle 60 and preventing water from leaking out along the outer wall of the spindle 60. In principle, if the gasket 80 and oil seal 70 can achieve good sealing performance and service life, the positioning groove 52 and sealing ring 53 may not be required. Figure 9 shown.

[0052] From the above description, it can be seen that the valve core 2 for the switch assembly of the present invention has the following features and can achieve the following effects:

[0053] First, the gasket 80 can withstand the tightening force generated by the locking cover 90 when it is locked, and cleverly transmits the tightening force to the oil seal 70, causing the oil seal 70 to deform in the desired direction and to produce an appropriate amount of deformation. By utilizing this deformation, a good sealing effect can be produced in both the radial and longitudinal directions.

[0054] Secondly, further speaking, a conical pressing structure is provided between the locking cover 90 and the liner 80, that is, the fitting structure of the conical pressing inner wall surface 91 and the conical pressing outer wall surface 83, and the liner 80 has a cross-sectional groove 85 designed to facilitate deformation. When the locking cover 90 is locked, an oblique pressing force F1 is applied to the liner 80 inwardly, such as Figure 7As shown, the liner 80 produces an elastic contraction effect on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also transmits a downward longitudinal force. More specifically, the liner 80 transmits the force through three parts respectively; the first part can transmit a radial tightening force F2 on the outer peripheral wall corresponding to the spindle 60 through the inner peripheral wall of the shaft hole 81 of the liner 80. The main purpose of the radial tightening force F2 is to prevent the spindle 60 from shaking; the second part can transmit an oblique contraction force F3 on the annular conical outer wall 721 of the oil seal 70 through the annular conical inner wall 82 of the liner 80, forcing the oil seal 70 to produce an elastic contraction effect in the radial direction, and utilizing the radial contraction generated by the elastic contraction effect. Force F4 is applied to the corresponding outer peripheral wall of the spindle 60, forcing a good sealing effect to be produced between them in the radial direction; thirdly, a longitudinal pressing force F5 can be transmitted to the annular upper plane 73 of the oil seal 70 through the annular lower plane 84 of the gasket 80, and then a longitudinal pressing force F6 is indirectly applied to the bottom wall of the positioning groove 51 through the oil seal 70, so that a good sealing effect is produced between them in the longitudinal direction. Of course, the oblique contraction force F3 will also generate a part of the longitudinal component force acting on the oil seal 70, which is combined with the radial pressing force F6; accordingly, in addition to preventing the spindle 60 from shaking, it can also prevent water from leaking and overflowing longitudinally upward and outward along the outer peripheral wall of the spindle 60. It is understandable that after the valve core 2 has been used for a period of time, the sealing performance may be reduced due to the loosening of the oil seal 70. At this time, the locking cover 90 can be locked again to further adjust or increase the tightening force to restore or increase the deformation of the oil seal 70, thereby maintaining a good sealing state again and extending the service life.

[0055] Third, the design of the annular conical inner wall surface 82 of the gasket 80 and the positioning protrusion 72 of the oil seal 70 also helps the oil seal 70 to be accurately and firmly forced to be positioned in the center position, which is conducive to fast and accurate assembly and positioning, and is also beneficial to the sealing effect produced by subsequent tightening.

[0056] Fourth, based on the material properties of the gasket 80 and the oil seal 70 , when the user wants to repair or replace the gasket 80 or the oil seal 70 , the gasket 80 or the oil seal 70 can be easily removed without being tightly adhered and difficult to remove as in the conventional method.

[0057] The valve core 2 of this embodiment can be installed and applied to various common switch assemblies, and the switch assembly can be a part of any type of water outlet device. For example, a wall faucet is a common water outlet device. The wall faucet usually contains two switch assemblies arranged on the left and right, respectively for switching and controlling and regulating the flow of cold water and hot water to at least one water outlet component, such as a shower component or a faucet component. The valve core 2 of this embodiment can be installed on, but is not limited to, this type of switch assembly 3. Figure 8As shown, the switch assembly 3 includes a valve seat 100, having a water inlet 101, a water chamber 102 and a water outlet 103 that are interconnected. The top of the water chamber 102 has a valve installation port 104 for the shaft seat 50 of the valve core 2 to be screwed and fixed, and a water seal 105 is screwed on the bottom end. The water seal 105 has a water hole 106. The top opening periphery of the water hole 106 is formed with a sealing portion 107, so that the sealing gasket 62 can be detachably sealed to the sealing portion 10 7, thereby preventing water flowing from the water inlet 101 into the water passage chamber 102 from flowing toward the water outlet 103; a sleeve 200 is threadedly connected to the exterior of the shaft seat 50, so that at least the main portion of the valve core 2 is concealed within the sleeve 200; a handle 300 is rotatably locked to the connection portion 61 at the top of the spindle 60, allowing the spindle 60 to move vertically up and down along the shaft seat 50, thereby switching and controlling the flow of water flowing from the water inlet 101 into the water passage chamber 102 toward the water outlet 103. Since the switch assembly 3, except for the valve core 2, is of conventional construction and not the technical focus of the present invention, it will not be described in detail here.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A valve core for a switch assembly, comprising: An axle seat, with a positioning groove recessed on the top end; A spindle extends through and is threadedly engaged with the shaft seat, with a connecting portion at the top and a sealing gasket at the bottom; An oil seal is accommodated and positioned in the positioning groove of the shaft seat and has a set hole for being inserted into the spindle. A positioning protrusion is formed around the top of the set hole, and an annular conical outer wall is formed on the positioning protrusion; A liner is positioned in the positioning groove of the shaft seat and has an axial hole for being inserted into the spindle. The bottom end of the axial hole is formed with an annular conical inner wall surface that can fit snugly against the annular conical outer wall surface. The top end of the liner is further formed with an annular conical pressing outer wall surface. A locking cover is sleeved on the outside of the spindle and screwed on the top of the shaft seat. The bottom end of the locking cover is formed with an annular conical tightening inner wall surface, which can be fitted and tightened on the annular conical tightening outer wall surface of the gasket. On the one hand, the oil seal and the gasket are tightened and fixed in the positioning groove of the shaft seat. On the other hand, a sealing effect can be generated in the positioning groove to prevent water from entering from the bottom of the spindle and leaking upward.

2. The valve core for the switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top end of the oil seal is further formed with an annular upper plane on the periphery of its positioning protrusion; the bottom end of the liner is further formed with an annular lower plane on the periphery of its annular conical inner wall surface for fitting with the annular upper plane.

3. The valve core for a switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer periphery of the bottom end of the oil seal is further formed with an annular cone-shaped guide wall surface, so that the oil seal can be guided into the positioning groove.

4. The valve core for a switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the liner is provided with a plurality of grooves distributed along the ring shape. The grooves pass through the outer wall surface of the annular cone and communicate with the outer peripheral wall of the liner and the internal shaft hole.

5. The valve core for the switch assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The liner is formed with an annular plane around the top end of the axial hole, the annular cone-shaped pressing outer wall surface is connected to the annular plane, and the cut groove passes through the annular plane.

6. The valve core for a switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning groove is further provided at the center of the bottom wall of the positioning groove of the shaft seat for nesting and positioning a sealing ring. The sealing ring is sealed and sleeved on the core shaft.

7. The valve core for a switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oil seal is made of ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) material.

8. The valve core for a switch assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liner is made of polyoxymethylene (POM) material in one piece.

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