Improved on-off valve structure for hand air pump

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of switching valve structure of structural improvement for hand-pull air cylinder, including upper cover, it is characterized by: the side of the upper cover is recessed, and the side wall of recessed cavity is opened with the exhaust hole for being communicated with the inside of upper cover, the recessed cavity is equipped with the manual switching valve body that can rotate around its axis, the side wall of manual switching valve body is opened with the exhaust port for being communicated with the exhaust hole and outside, and sealing ring is equipped between the side wall of manual switching valve body and the side wall of recessed cavity;Manual switching valve body rotates to the state of one-way inflation, and the exhaust port is communicated with exhaust hole;Manual switching valve body rotates to the state of two-way inflation, and the exhaust port is misaligned with exhaust hole, and the sealing ring is arranged along the circumference of exhaust hole to form sealing.The side wall between manual switching valve body and the side wall of recessed cavity is equipped with sealing ring, so that good sealing is formed between manual switching valve body and the inner end surface of recessed cavity, ensure that inflation efficiency is high during two-way inflation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a hand-operated air pump, and more particularly to a structurally improved switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump. Background Technology

[0002] There are many types of hand-operated air pumps (also called air inflators) on the market, including unidirectional and bidirectional models. They generally consist of a cylinder and a top cover. A piston operated by a connecting rod is assembled inside the cylinder, and a handle for the user to grip is located at the top of the connecting rod. An inflation tube extends from the lower or upper end of the cylinder. Unidirectional air pumps only provide inflation during one round trip of the piston's movement, resulting in lower efficiency. Bidirectional air pumps, on the other hand, inflate during both pushing and pulling movements of the handle, thus improving efficiency. For example, Chinese utility model patent "Bidirectional Air Pump" with patent number ZL00255072.5 (publication number CN2450405Y) and Chinese utility model patent "A Bidirectional Air Pump" with patent number ZL200620100394.9 (publication number CN2874057Y) both disclose a bidirectional air pump.

[0003] A two-way inflator, for the same size as a one-way pump, offers double the airflow. However, at certain pressures, pulling it upwards becomes difficult due to excessive force on the back. To address this, a plug is typically placed on the top cover. When the pressure is too high and pulling upwards is difficult, removing the plug turns the pump into a one-way pump, making operation easier. To prevent the plug from being lost, it's usually connected to the pump body with a rope. This makes the pump unsightly, and repeated insertion and removal of the plug can lead to leaks due to a loose seal. To prevent leaks between the plug and the vent, the connection between them is tight, making plug insertion and removal difficult and prone to causing leaks.

[0004] To address this situation, a Chinese utility model patent with patent number ZL201520364471.0 (publication number CN204716507U), entitled "Switching Valve Structure of a Two-Way Inflatable Hand-Pull Air Cylinder," discloses a switching valve structure, including a cylinder body and an upper cover located on the upper part of the cylinder body. The upper cover has an exhaust hole connecting the upper air chamber to the outside. A manual switching valve is rotatably installed inside the exhaust hole. The manual switching valve has a switching channel for connecting the upper air chamber to the outside. When the manual switching valve is rotated to one angle, the switching channel connects the upper air chamber to the outside; when the manual switching valve is rotated to another angle, the switching channel blocks the connection between the upper air chamber and the outside. Another Chinese utility model patent with patent number ZL01259675.1 (publication number CN2504401Y), entitled "Two-Way Inflatable Pump," also discloses a similar switching valve structure.

[0005] However, this patent also has the following drawbacks: Because the exhaust port is located at the bottom of the concave cavity's peripheral wall, when the manual switching valve is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the exhaust channel and exhaust port are misaligned. This misalignment is achieved by sealing the outer peripheral wall of the manual switching valve core with the inner peripheral wall of the concave cavity, thus blocking the interior of the top cover from the outside. Therefore, the seal between the outer peripheral wall of the manual switching valve core and the inner peripheral wall of the concave cavity must be excellent; otherwise, air leakage will easily occur, leading to reduced inflation efficiency. Since a radial seal is formed between the manual switching valve and the concave cavity's peripheral wall, the switching valve handle, base, and exhaust port on the top cover must be very precise; otherwise, air leakage will occur, thus affecting the air pump's efficiency. Furthermore, these air pumps are generally made of plastic, so dimensional tolerances cannot be made very small. Therefore, in production, it is often found that the switching valve handle fits very tightly onto the top cover without leakage, but is difficult to use; or it fits very loosely, is easy to use, but leaks.

[0006] In conclusion, the existing switching valve structure of the hand-operated air pump can be further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a structurally improved switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump, which addresses the current state of the prior art. This switching valve structure enables a good seal between the manual switching valve body and the side wall of the cavity, ensuring high inflation efficiency during bidirectional inflation.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: a structurally improved switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump, including an upper cover, a cavity on the side of the upper cover, an exhaust hole on the side wall of the cavity for communicating with the interior of the upper cover, a manual switching valve body that can rotate around its own axis inside the cavity, an exhaust port on the side wall of the manual switching valve body for communicating with the exhaust hole and the outside, and a sealing ring between the side wall of the manual switching valve body and the side wall of the cavity; when the manual switching valve body is rotated to the unidirectional inflation state, the exhaust port is connected to the exhaust hole; when the manual switching valve body is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the exhaust port is misaligned with the exhaust hole, and the sealing ring is arranged along the periphery of the exhaust hole to form a seal.

[0009] As an improvement, a groove is provided on the outer wall of the manual switching valve body, and the sealing ring is embedded in the groove. In this embodiment, both the groove and the vent hole are provided on the side wall of the manual switching valve body, and the groove and the vent hole are spaced a certain distance apart in the circumferential direction. This distance is equal to the arc length of the manual switching valve body when switching between unidirectional inflation and bidirectional inflation.

[0010] As an improvement, the manual switching valve body has an internal installation space that connects the exhaust port to the outside, and a filter screen is installed within this space to prevent impurities from passing through the exhaust port. This way, even when the exhaust port is connected to the exhaust hole, larger impurities such as sand will not enter the cover (i.e., the upper air chamber of the air pump) through the exhaust hole, preventing sand from damaging the piston inside the air pump.

[0011] As an improvement, the manual switching valve body has an outward-facing opening, and the filter screen is snapped into this opening. The filter screen can be arranged in a ring shape at the opening of the manual switching valve body, which can more comprehensively prevent impurities from entering the exhaust port.

[0012] As an improvement, a first connecting post is formed at the center of the inner end face of the concave cavity, and the inner end face of the manual switching valve body is sleeved on the first connecting post and can rotate around the axis of the first connecting post. The manual switching valve body can switch between unidirectional inflation and bidirectional inflation by rotating around the first connecting post.

[0013] As an improvement, the first connecting post has a threaded hole, and the inner end face of the manual switching valve body is provided with a second connecting post that can be sleeved on the first connecting post. The second connecting post has a through hole, through which a screw passes and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole. This structure is a structure in which the manual switching valve body is installed in a recessed cavity. After the manual switching valve body is installed, it cannot be detached from the inner cavity, but can rotate around the first connecting post.

[0014] Preferably, the outer annular surface of the concave cavity is provided with a protruding limiting part, and the outer periphery of the manual switching valve body is provided with a protruding annular shoulder for blocking the outer annular surface of the concave cavity. The inner surface of the annular shoulder is provided with an arc-shaped limiting groove that matches the limiting part. When the manual switching valve body is rotated to the unidirectional inflation state, the limiting part contacts the side wall of one side of the limiting groove; when the manual switching valve body is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the limiting part contacts the side wall of the other side of the limiting groove. The blocking action of the limiting part and the limiting groove indicates the manual switching valve body to each working position, facilitating operation.

[0015] As an improvement, the manual switching valve body is provided with an outwardly extending lever for easy manual operation. The exposed lever facilitates rotation of the manual switching valve body.

[0016] A further improvement is that the top peripheral wall of the cavity is provided with a first indicator symbol for unidirectional inflation and a second indicator symbol for bidirectional inflation. When the valve body is manually switched to unidirectional inflation, the wrench is located on one side of the first indicator symbol; when the valve body is manually switched to bidirectional inflation, the wrench is located on one side of the second indicator symbol. This allows the user to determine whether the manual switching valve body is in unidirectional or bidirectional inflation mode by observing the relative position of the indicator symbol on the top peripheral wall of the cavity and the wrench, making it convenient and user-friendly.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are: a sealing ring is provided between the side wall of the manual switching valve body and the side wall of the cavity, so that a good seal is formed between the manual switching valve body and the inner end face of the cavity, ensuring high inflation efficiency during bidirectional inflation, reducing the assembly precision of the manual switching valve body and the side wall of the cavity, and reducing costs. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model (in a one-way inflation state); Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention (in a one-way inflation state); Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention (in a bidirectional inflation state); Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention (in a bidirectional inflation state).

[0019] Figure 5 Three-dimensional breakdown of the embodiments of this utility model Figure 1 (One-way inflation state); Figure 6 Three-dimensional breakdown of the embodiments of this utility model Figure 2 (Two-way inflation state) Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] like Figures 1-6 The figure shown is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] An improved switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump includes an upper cover 1. A recess 11 is opened on the side of the upper cover 1, with the opening of the recess 11 facing outward. An exhaust hole 5 is opened on the side wall of the recess 11 to communicate with the interior of the upper cover 1. The interior of the upper cover 1 is the upper air chamber inside the cylinder in the air pump.

[0023] The cavity 11 contains a manually operated switching valve body 3 that can rotate around its own axis. The side wall of the manually operated switching valve body 3 has an exhaust port 6 for connecting the exhaust hole 5 to the outside. A sealing ring 4 is provided between the side wall of the manually operated switching valve body 3 and the side wall of the cavity 11. When the manually operated switching valve body 3 is rotated to the one-way inflation state, such as... Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the vent 6 is connected to the vent 5, so that the interior of the upper cover 1 is connected to the outside through the vent 5 and the vent 6; when the valve body 3 is manually rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, as shown... Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the exhaust port 6 is misaligned with the exhaust hole 5, and the sealing ring 4 is set along the periphery of the exhaust hole 5 to form a seal. The exhaust hole 5 is blocked by manually switching the part without an opening on the side wall of the valve body 3.

[0024] Specifically, a groove 30 is provided on the outer wall of the manual switching valve body 3, and a sealing ring 4 is embedded in the groove 30. The circumference of the groove 30 is greater than the circumference of the exhaust hole 5. In the bidirectional inflation state, the sealing ring 4 in the groove 30 surrounds the exhaust hole 5 and plays a sealing role.

[0025] The manual switching valve body 3 forms an installation space P inside, which connects the exhaust port 6 to the outside. The installation space P has an outward opening, and a filter screen 2 is provided at the opening to prevent impurities from passing through the exhaust port 6.

[0026] A first connecting post 7 is formed at the center of the inner end face of the cavity 11. The first connecting post 7 has a threaded hole 71. A second connecting post 8 is provided at the center of the inner end face of the manual switching valve body 3. The second connecting post can be sleeved on the first connecting post 7. The second connecting post 8 has a through hole 81. A screw (not shown in the drawing) passes through the through hole 81 and is threaded into the threaded hole 71. The screw connects the manual switching valve body 3 to the upper cover 1. At the same time, the manual switching valve body 3 can rotate around the axis on the first connecting post 7 to switch the inflation state.

[0027] The outer circumferential surface of the cavity 11 is provided with a transversely protruding limiting part 9. The outer periphery of the manual switching valve body 3 is provided with a protruding annular shoulder 31 for blocking the outer circumferential surface of the cavity 11. The inner surface of the annular shoulder 31 is provided with an arc-shaped limiting groove 311 that matches the limiting part 9. When the manual switching valve body 3 is rotated to the unidirectional inflation state, the limiting part 9 contacts the side wall of the limiting groove 311 on one side. When the manual switching valve body 3 is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the limiting part 9 contacts the side wall of the limiting groove 311 on the other side. In addition, the manual switching valve body 3 in this embodiment is provided with an outwardly extending lever part 32 for easy manual operation. Turning the lever part 32 causes the manual switching valve body 3 to rotate within the cavity 11.

[0028] The top peripheral wall of the cavity 11 is provided with a first indicator symbol 111 for indicating unidirectional inflation mode and a second indicator symbol 112 for indicating bidirectional inflation mode. When the valve body 3 is manually rotated to unidirectional inflation mode, the wrench part 32 is located on the side of the first indicator symbol 111. When the valve body 3 is manually rotated to bidirectional inflation mode, the wrench part 32 is located on the side of the second indicator symbol 112.

[0029] This switching valve structure allows for switching between unidirectional and bidirectional inflation simply by rotating the manual switching valve body 3 and checking whether the exhaust port 6 and exhaust hole 5 on the manual switching valve body 3 are connected. There is no need to pull out the manual switching valve body 3, making it convenient to operate and less likely to be lost, resulting in a simpler structure. Furthermore, a sealing ring 4 is provided between the side wall of the manual switching valve body 3 and the side wall of the cavity 11, forming a good seal between the manual switching valve body 3 and the side wall of the cavity 11, ensuring high inflation efficiency during bidirectional inflation.

[0030] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be clearly understood that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modified hand-operated air pump switching valve structure, comprising an upper cover (1), wherein a cavity (11) is formed on the side of the upper cover (1), and an exhaust hole (5) for communicating with the interior of the upper cover (1) is formed on the side wall of the cavity (11), and a manual switching valve body (3) rotatable about its own axis is provided in the cavity (11), and an exhaust port (6) for communicating with the exhaust hole (5) and the outside is formed on the side wall of the manual switching valve body (3), characterized in that: A sealing ring (4) is provided between the side wall of the manual switching valve body (3) and the side wall of the cavity (11); when the manual switching valve body (3) is rotated to the unidirectional inflation state, the exhaust port (6) is connected to the exhaust hole (5); when the manual switching valve body (3) is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the exhaust port (6) and the exhaust hole (5) are misaligned, and the sealing ring (4) is arranged along the periphery of the exhaust hole (5) to form a seal.

2. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manual switching valve body (3) has a groove (30) on its outer side wall, and the sealing ring (4) is embedded in the groove (30).

3. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manual switching valve body (3) forms an installation space (P) inside, which connects the exhaust port (6) to the outside, and a filter screen (2) is provided in the installation space (P) to prevent impurities from passing through the exhaust port (6).

4. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 3, characterized in that: The manual switching valve body (3) has an outward opening, and the filter screen (2) is snapped into the opening.

5. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the inner end face of the cavity (11) is formed with a first connecting post (7), and the inner end face of the manual switching valve body (3) is sleeved on the first connecting post (7) and can rotate around the axis of the first connecting post (7).

6. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first connecting post (7) has a threaded hole (71). The inner end face of the manual switching valve body (3) is provided with a second connecting post (8) that can be sleeved on the first connecting post (7). The second connecting post has a through hole, and a screw passes through the through hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

7. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The outer ring surface of the cavity (11) is provided with a protruding limiting part (9), and the outer periphery of the manual switching valve body (3) is provided with a protruding annular shoulder (31) for blocking the outer ring surface of the cavity (11). The inner surface of the annular shoulder (31) is provided with an arc-shaped limiting groove (311) that matches the limiting part (9). When the manual switching valve body (3) is rotated to the unidirectional inflation state, the limiting part (9) contacts the side wall of the limiting groove (311) on one side. When the manual switching valve body (3) is rotated to the bidirectional inflation state, the limiting part (9) contacts the side wall of the limiting groove (311) on the other side.

8. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 7, characterized in that: The manual switching valve body (3) is provided with an outwardly extending lever part (32) for easy manual operation.

9. The switching valve structure for a hand-operated air pump according to claim 8, characterized in that: The top periphery of the cavity (11) is provided with a first indicator symbol (111) for indicating unidirectional inflation mode and a second indicator symbol (112) for indicating bidirectional inflation mode. When the valve body (3) is manually rotated to unidirectional inflation mode, the wrench part (32) is located on the side of the first indicator symbol (111). When the valve body (3) is manually rotated to bidirectional inflation mode, the wrench part (32) is located on the side of the second indicator symbol (112).

Images