Valve element

Abstract

The utility model discloses a valve core, belongs to the technology of faucets, and aims to solve the problem that the processing cost is high as the conventional valve core is made of stainless steel materials. A shell is formed by welding an upper shell made of stainless steel materials and a lower shell made of stainless steel materials; the stainless steel shell with the same specification is divided into the upper shell and the lower shell to reduce the specification of the machining unit (the upper shell and the lower shell) and reduce the machining difficulty, different material forms can be selected, and different machining methods and technologies are adopted for machining the upper shell and the lower shell, so that the machining precision is guaranteed, and the machining efficiency is also guaranteed. And finally, the processed upper shell and the processed lower shell are welded into a complete shell, so that the manufacturing cost of the product is finally reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to fluid switching and flow rate control technology, specifically a valve core. Background Technology

[0002] Valve cores are installed in faucets to control water flow. Currently, the components of valve cores, apart from the moving plate (moving valve plate) and stationary plate (stationary valve plate) which are made of ceramic, are made of various materials, such as plastic and copper. Copper is favored by manufacturers and consumers due to its superior material properties. For example, patent application publication number CN112197021A describes a copper sleeve and brass shaft; patent authorization publication number CN209213080U describes a copper rod; patent authorization publication number CN207297939U discloses a pure copper ceramic valve core angle valve; and patent application publication number CN103486298A describes the use of copper material for the copper insert in the valve core base, and so on. However, copper is expensive, leading to higher manufacturing costs and product prices. Furthermore, many materials, including brass, contain lead, which is harmful to human health. Therefore, valve cores and faucets containing brass components have become less desirable.

[0003] Stainless steel, especially food-grade stainless steel such as 304 and 316, is lead-free and offers better health and safety advantages than brass. While there are existing examples of using stainless steel to manufacture valve cores and faucets, stainless steel is significantly more difficult to process than brass. Current methods for manufacturing valve cores with stainless steel follow existing brass processing techniques, using casting and cold heading to create the valve core shell. This results in a thicker shell with an irregular shape, making automatic feeding difficult and requiring manual feeding for laser cutting, leading to low processing efficiency. Since laser cutting equipment is expensive, it offers no cost advantage. Therefore, the required water passage is typically machined into the thicker shell using lower-cost electrical discharge machining (EDM) with manual feeding. However, EDM is even less efficient than laser cutting. In conclusion, while using stainless steel to manufacture the shell reduces material costs, it significantly increases processing costs, not only due to the cost of the process itself but also because of the lower processing efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention addresses the high processing cost of valve cores made of stainless steel in existing technologies by providing a valve core for controlling fluid closure and flow rate, aiming to reduce manufacturing costs when stainless steel is selected.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the valve core of this utility model includes a valve stem, a dial, a moving plate, a fixed plate, an outer seal, and a housing. The dial, moving plate, fixed plate, and outer seal are stacked sequentially from top to bottom inside the housing. The lower end of the valve stem is connected to the dial, and the upper end extends upward out of the housing for rotating the moving plate relative to the fixed plate via the dial. In particular, the housing is welded from an upper housing made of stainless steel and a lower housing made of stainless steel. The upper housing is provided with assembly threads, and the lower housing has a water outlet on its wall.

[0006] Accordingly, stainless steel shells of the same specifications can be divided into upper and lower shells to reduce the size of the processing units (upper and lower shells), thereby reducing processing difficulty. Different material forms, processing methods, and processes can be used to process the upper and lower shells. In particular, the structural characteristics of the lower shell determine that its shape is relatively regular (generally cylindrical). By separating the lower shell and processing the sprue on the lower shell, it is not necessary to position the lower shell in a specific posture, which allows for smooth automatic loading and unloading, ensuring both processing accuracy and efficiency. Finally, the processed upper and lower shells are welded together to form a complete shell, ultimately reducing the manufacturing cost of the product.

[0007] Preferably, the lower housing has a positioning opening on its wall, and a positioning rib is provided around the periphery of the fixing piece. The positioning rib is embedded in the positioning opening to position the fixing piece in the lower housing, ensuring that the fixing piece is fixed.

[0008] Preferably, the lower housing includes an upper small-diameter section and a lower flared section that are integrally connected, with a step formed at the junction of the small-diameter section and the flared section. The positioning opening extends vertically and its lower end extends beyond the step and opens into the flared section. Accordingly, the flared section facilitates the installation of the dial, moving plate, fixed plate, and outer seal into place.

[0009] Preferably, the upper end of the positioning port is open to the water inlet. Compared to a structure where the positioning port and the water inlet are independent of each other, the upper end of the positioning port being open to the water inlet can shorten the processing distance when machining the positioning port and the water inlet.

[0010] Preferably, the surface of the welded joint between the upper and lower housings is machined flat to ensure the regularity of the housing and ease of assembly.

[0011] Preferably, the upper shell is cold-forged from stainless steel and the threads are machined thereon, while the lower shell is a stainless steel tube with the water inlet formed by laser cutting. Accordingly, utilizing the shape characteristics of the rotating stainless steel tube, the water inlet can be machined at any position on its circumference, facilitating automatic loading and unloading, positioning and clamping, and achieving efficient cutting.

[0012] Preferably, the lower end of the valve stem is connected to the dial via a pin. This prevents the valve stem from becoming loose and causing the rotation angle of the valve stem to be inaccurately reflected in the dial and moving plate.

[0013] Preferably, the inner cavity of the upper housing has a protrusion that blocks the rotation of the pin, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the valve stem, dial, and moving plate. This limitation prevents the valve stem from rotating in one direction without restriction, which helps to prompt the user to rotate in the opposite direction when rotation in one direction is not possible. Accordingly, the rotation angle of the moving plate is limited, constraining the moving plate within a suitable angle range and preventing the moving plate from losing its mating position with the fixed plate.

[0014] Preferably, the upper surface of the valve stem has several longitudinal grooves extending vertically around its circumference, with longitudinal teeth forming between adjacent grooves. This facilitates the connection between the valve stem and the faucet handle and maintains the relative position of the handle and the valve core. It also ensures that the valve stem and the faucet handle are interchangeable.

[0015] Preferably, the valve stem is a stainless steel rod, and the upper surface of the valve stem has annular grooves distributed thereon. The annular grooves intersect with longitudinal grooves and longitudinal teeth to allow for the formation of longitudinal grooves and longitudinal teeth by punching teeth. This improves processing efficiency.

[0016] This utility model reduces the size of the processing unit (upper and lower shells) by welding an upper shell and a lower shell made of stainless steel. The same stainless steel shell is divided into an upper shell and a lower shell, which reduces the processing difficulty. Different material forms, processing methods and processes can be used to process the upper and lower shells, which ensures both processing accuracy and processing efficiency. Finally, the processed upper and lower shells are welded together to form a complete shell, which ultimately reduces the manufacturing cost of the product.

[0017] The lower shell of this invention is made of stainless steel tube and laser-cut to form a water inlet and a positioning port, with the upper end of the positioning port open to the water inlet. Compared to a structure where the positioning port and the water inlet are independent of each other, the upper end of the positioning port being open to the water inlet can shorten the processing distance when machining the positioning port and the water inlet.

[0018] The valve stem of this invention is a stainless steel rod. The upper surface of the valve stem has several longitudinal grooves extending vertically around its circumference, with longitudinal teeth forming between adjacent grooves. This facilitates the connection between the valve stem and the faucet handle, maintaining the relative position of the handle and the valve core. It also ensures compatibility between the valve stem and the faucet handle. Furthermore, the upper surface of the valve stem has annular grooves that intersect with the longitudinal grooves and teeth, allowing for the creation of longitudinal grooves and teeth through punching, thus improving processing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a half-sectional structural diagram of the valve core of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shown is an exploded view of the valve core structure.

[0021] Figure 3for Figure 1 Sectional view along axis AA;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the upper shell of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the upper shell of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the lower shell of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the lower housing of this utility model;

[0026] Explanation of the labels in the diagram:

[0027] 10 Valve stem, 11 Longitudinal groove, 12 Longitudinal tooth, 13 Ring groove, 14 Positioning groove, 15 Snap-in groove;

[0028] 20 dials;

[0029] 30 animated films;

[0030] 40 fixed pieces, 41 positioning ribs;

[0031] 50 outer seal, 51 bushing;

[0032] 60 housing,

[0033] 61 Upper housing, 611 Thread, 612 Protrusion,

[0034] 62 Lower shell, 621 Water passage, 622 Positioning port, 623 Small diameter section, 624 Flared section, 625 Step.

[0035] 63 seams;

[0036] 70 sold;

[0037] 81 First sealing ring, 82 Second sealing ring, 83 Gasket, 84 Snap ring. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0039] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification and claims of this utility model are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as a method or product that includes a series of technical features, not limited to those technical features explicitly listed, but also including other technical features that may be included in the method or product but not explicitly listed.

[0040] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper" and "lower" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0041] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the technical features defined by terms such as "first" and "second," which have a sequential concept, are only used to clearly describe the defined technical features and to clearly distinguish them from other technical features, and do not represent that they are named in this way in actual implementation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. The present utility model will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0042] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the valve core includes a valve stem 10, a dial 20, a moving plate 30, a fixed plate 40, an outer seal 50, and a housing 60. The dial 20, moving plate 30, fixed plate 40, and outer seal 50 are stacked sequentially from top to bottom within the housing 60. The lower end of the valve stem 10 is connected to the dial 20, and the upper end extends upward out of the housing 60 to actuate the moving plate 30 relative to the fixed plate 40 via the dial 20. The fixed plate 40 and the moving plate 30 change the flow cross-section of the flow channel provided on them when they rotate relative to each other, thereby opening and closing the faucet and regulating the water flow.

[0043] In the illustrated structure, the shell 60 is composed of Figure 4-5 The stainless steel upper housing 61 shown is... Figure 6-7 The lower shell 62, made of stainless steel, is welded together. The upper shell 61 has assembly threads 611, and the lower shell 62 has a water passage 621 on its wall. Accordingly, stainless steel shells of the same specifications can be divided into upper and lower shells to reduce the size of the processing units (upper and lower shells), thus reducing processing difficulty. Furthermore, different material forms (such as stainless steel bars or pipes) and different processing methods and processes can be used to process the upper and lower shells, ensuring both processing accuracy and efficiency. Finally, the processed upper and lower shells are welded together to form a complete shell, reducing the manufacturing cost of the final product.

[0044] In the illustrated structure, a positioning opening 622 is provided on the wall of the lower housing 62, and a positioning rib 41 is provided around the periphery of the fixing plate 40. The positioning rib 41 is embedded in the positioning opening 622 to position the fixing plate in the lower housing. This ensures that the fixing plate is fixed and does not rotate, and ensures that the fixing plate corresponds to the water inlet of the faucet when the valve core is installed.

[0045] In the illustrated structure, the lower housing 62 includes an upper small-diameter section 623 and a lower flared section 624 that are integrally connected. The flared section 624 is formed by flaring an equal-diameter tube. A step 625 is formed at the junction of the small-diameter section 623 and the flared section 624. The positioning port 622 extends vertically, and its lower end extends beyond the step 625 and opens into the flared section 624. Accordingly, the flared section facilitates the installation of the dial 20, the moving plate 30, the fixed plate 40, and the outer seal 50.

[0046] In the illustrated structure, the upper end of the positioning port 622 is open to the water passage 621. Compared to a structure where the positioning port and the water passage are independent of each other, the upper end of the positioning port being open to the water passage can shorten their circumference and reduce the amount of machining required when machining the positioning port and the water passage.

[0047] In the illustrated structure, the welded area between the upper shell 61 and the lower shell 62 is machined smooth. This ensures the shell's neatness and ease of assembly. Due to the high-quality welding and machining, this welded area is not easily visible on the exterior of the shell, but it is much easier to see and observe from the inside. Figure 1 The joint 63 is indicated by the shape of the joint 63. The shape of the joint 63 may be a step due to the difference in diameter of the mating part of the upper shell 61 and the lower shell 62, or a difference in surface morphology due to the different processing technology of the upper shell 61 and the lower shell 62, or it may be a tiny gap.

[0048] In the illustrated structure, the upper shell 61 is cold-forged from stainless steel (such as stainless steel bar) and machined with threads 611. The lower shell 62 is a stainless steel tube with a water inlet 621 and a positioning port 622 formed by laser cutting. The internal structure of the upper shell is easily formed through cold forging. The stainless steel tube of the lower shell has a relatively thin wall, making it easy to process by cutting (such as laser cutting). Laser cutting offers advantages such as high processing precision, high processing efficiency, and low processing cost, which helps reduce product manufacturing costs.

[0049] In the illustrated structure, the lower end of the valve stem 10 is connected to the dial 20 via pin 70. This prevents the valve stem from becoming loose and causing the rotation angle of the valve stem to be inaccurately transmitted to the dial and moving plate. Pin 70 is also made of stainless steel.

[0050] In the illustrated structure, the upper housing 61 has a protrusion 612 inside its cavity. This protrusion, as described above, is formed by cold forging. The protrusion 612 acts as a stop pin 70 to restrict the rotation angle of the valve stem 10, dial 20, and moving plate 30. This restriction prevents the valve stem from rotating uncontrollably, prompting the user to rotate in the opposite direction if rotation in one direction is not possible. Accordingly, the rotation angle of the moving plate is limited, constraining it within a suitable rotation angle range and preventing it from losing its engagement position with the fixed plate. By rotating the protruding stop pin, the rotation of the valve stem can be restricted to a range of 90° or 180°. That is, by rotating the valve stem 90° or 180° with the faucet handle, the faucet can be fully opened from a closed state or closed from a fully open state, making operation quick and easy.

[0051] In the illustrated structure, the upper surface of the valve stem 10 has several vertically extending longitudinal grooves 11 distributed around its circumference, with longitudinal teeth 12 formed between adjacent longitudinal grooves 11. This facilitates the connection between the valve stem and the faucet handle and maintains the relative position of the handle and the valve core. It also ensures that the valve stem and the faucet handle are interchangeable.

[0052] In the illustrated structure, the valve stem 10 is a stainless steel rod. The upper surface of the valve stem 10 has annular grooves 13, which intersect with longitudinal grooves 11 and longitudinal teeth 12 to allow for the formation of longitudinal grooves and teeth through punching, thus improving processing efficiency.

[0053] The valve core with the above structure can be assembled through the following process:

[0054] The valve stem 10 is connected to the dial 20 by a pin 70. A gasket 83 is placed on the valve stem 10 and two first sealing rings 81 are placed in the positioning groove 14 of the valve stem 10.

[0055] The upper end of the valve stem 10 is placed inside the housing 60 from the lower end and passes through the through hole at the upper end of the housing. A retaining ring 84 secures the valve stem in the retaining groove 15 outside the housing 60. The valve stem 10 is axially positioned by the gasket 83 inside the housing and the retaining ring 84 outside the housing. Two first sealing rings 81 are pressed between the inner wall of the upper housing 61 and the valve stem 10, sealing the area. The gasket 83 axially contacts the upper end face of the dial 20 and the axial stepped surface of the upper housing 61. The portion of the pin 70 extending out of the dial 20 is located between two protrusions 612 on the inner wall of the upper housing.

[0056] The movable piece 30 is inserted into the flared section 624 of the lower housing, so that the upper end of the movable piece 30 is engaged with the lower end of the dial 20.

[0057] The fixed piece 40 is inserted into the flared section 624 of the lower housing, and the positioning rib 41 of the fixed piece 40 is inserted into the positioning port 622, so that the upper end face of the fixed piece 40 is attached to the lower end face of the moving piece 30.

[0058] The outer seal 50 is positioned at the lower end of the flared section 624. The outer seal 50 forms a tight fit with the inner wall of the flared section 624 in the radial direction and positions the retaining plate 40 in the axial direction. To prevent deformation of the outer seal and to maintain its shape, the outer seal is supported by a bushing 51.

[0059] A second sealing ring 82 is fitted onto the outer casing 61.

[0060] To ensure a seal, silicone grease is typically applied to the mating surfaces of the fixed plate 40 and the moving plate 30, the first sealing ring 81, and the second sealing ring 82.

[0061] The valve core, valve stem 10, housing 60, pin 70, and retaining ring 84 are made of stainless steel; the fixed plate 40 and moving plate 30 are made of ceramic (97% Al2O3); the dial 20, bushing 51, and gasket 83 are made of polyoxymethylene (POM); the first sealing ring 81 and the second sealing ring 82 are made of nitrile rubber (NBR); and the outer seal 50 is made of synthetic rubber (SR). All of the above components are made of lead-free materials to avoid health hazards caused by lead.

Claims

1. A valve core comprising a valve stem (10), a dial plate (20), a moving vane (30), a fixed vane (40), an outer seal (50) and a housing (60), wherein the dial plate (20), the moving vane (30), the fixed vane (40) and the outer seal (50) are stacked in the housing (60) in order from top to bottom, the valve stem (10) is connected to the dial plate (20) at a lower end and extends out of the housing (60) at an upper end for rotating the moving vane relative to the fixed vane by dialing the dial plate, characterized in that: The shell (60) is welded by an upper shell (61) of stainless steel material and a lower shell (62) of stainless steel material, the upper shell (61) is provided with a threaded hole (611) for assembly, and the wall of the lower shell (62) is provided with a water passage (621). ​ 2. The valve core of claim 1, wherein: The wall of the lower shell (62) is provided with a positioning hole (622), and the periphery of the positioning piece (40) is provided with a positioning rib (41), which is embedded in the positioning hole (622) to position the positioning piece (40) in the lower shell (62).

3. The valve core of claim 2, wherein: The lower shell (62) comprises an upper small-diameter section (623) and a lower flared section (624) connected as a whole, a step (625) is formed at the junction of the small-diameter section (623) and the flared section (624), and the positioning hole (622) extends in the vertical direction and its lower end is open to the flared section (624) beyond the step (625).

4. The valve core of claim 3, wherein: The upper end of the positioning hole (622) is open to the water passage (621).

5. The valve core of claim 1, wherein: The outer surface of the welded part of the upper shell (61) and the lower shell (62) is turned flat.

6. A valve core according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that: The upper shell (61) is cold-rolled from stainless steel material and the threaded hole (611) is formed by turning, and the lower shell (62) is a stainless steel pipe and the water passage (621) is formed by laser cutting.

7. A valve core according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that: The lower end of the valve stem (10) is connected to the dial (20) through a pin (70).

8. The valve core of claim 7, wherein: The inner cavity of the upper shell (61) is provided with a protrusion (612), which blocks the rotation of the pin (70) to limit the rotation angle of the valve stem (10), the dial (20) and the moving piece (30).

9. A valve core according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that: The upper end surface of the valve stem (10) is circumferentially distributed with a plurality of vertically extending longitudinal grooves (11), and the longitudinal teeth (12) are formed between adjacent longitudinal grooves.

10. The valve core of claim 9, wherein: The valve stem (10) is a stainless steel rod, and the upper end surface of the valve stem is distributed with a ring groove (13), and the ring groove (13) intersects with the longitudinal groove (11) to obtain the longitudinal groove (11) and the longitudinal tooth (12) by punching teeth.

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