Draining device for liquid tank

Abstract

Drain device (DV) for a liquid reservoir (9) comprising a base (1) equipped with a valve seat (16) and including a tubular guide body (10) and a flange (12), with diametrically opposed through guide slots (14, 15) receiving a control rod (4), a sliding member (2) comprising a valve, a cylindrical skirt 20 with openings (62), and two diametrically opposed through holes (21, 22) receiving the control rod (4), a control sleeve (3), comprising two helical grooves (31, 32), open radially inward, each receiving one of the two ends (41, 42) of the control rod (4), the sliding member being movable between a closed position and an open position, by means of the control rod which slides in the guide slots under the effect of the rotation of the control sleeve. Figure of the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Draining device for liquid reservoir

[0001] The present invention relates to drainage devices for a drinking trough. A drinking trough is a water reservoir with free access from the top to allow an animal to drink.

[0002] Such drinking troughs are used in particular for watering animals indoors and outdoors. Often, the troughs are fixed to the ground or to housing structures.

[0003] Such drinking troughs are usually equipped with a drain plug that allows the reservoir to be completely emptied of its water contents, for example, to change the water, to clean the reservoir, or to protect it from freezing. The drain plug is often accessible from inside the reservoir.

[0004] There are also draining devices that avoid immersing the hand in the water, as described in document FR2994794. However, the solution proposed in this document FR2994794 has a drawback related to the wetting of the hand operating the device to open the drain. Indeed, the water flowing from the reservoir runs down the outer sides of the cap and trickles onto the operating mechanism held by the user. Consequently, the user's hand may become soiled by the water flowing from the reservoir.

[0005] In light of the foregoing, the inventors sought to propose a solution that allows for draining while keeping hands dry. Furthermore, they also sought to provide a rapid draining process.

[0006] To this end, a draining device for a liquid reservoir is proposed, comprising: - a base comprising a tubular guide body and a flange configured to be fixed to the bottom of a liquid tank, the tubular guide body having an axis, and the flange extending along a reference plane perpendicular to the axis, the base being equipped with a valve seat, the tubular guide body comprising through and diametrically opposed guide slots receiving a control rod, - a sliding element, mounted to slide inside the tubular guide body and comprising a closing disc forming a valve, the sliding element comprising a cylindrical skirt with openings in the upper part, and two diametrically opposed through holes receiving the control rod, - a control sleeve, mounted for rotation around the tubular guide body and comprising at least two helical grooves, open radially inwards, each receiving one of the two ends of the control rod, the sliding member being movable between a closed position and an open position, by means of the control rod which slides in the guide slots under the effect of the rotation of the control sleeve, so that in the closed position, the closing disc forming the valve blocks any passage of liquid through the draining device and In the open position, the closing disc forming the valve is away from the valve seat and liquid can pass through the openings from the internal volume of the tank, into the inside of the tubular body of the base, thus keeping the control sleeve dry.

[0007] Thanks to these arrangements, the liquid flowing from the internal volume of the reservoir passes inside the sliding member and / or inside the tubular guide body and the liquid is evacuated downwards without ever coming into contact with the user's hand gripping the outer surface of the control sleeve.

[0008] The emptying process is rapid because the passage area of ​​the lights is substantial. Rapid emptying promotes a flushing effect in the passage areas of the emptying device in order to eliminate any residue or debris that might be lodged there.

[0009] Advantageously, the rotation of the control sleeve can be performed blindly by a user. It simply rotates from stop to stop. The solution proposed here proves to be simple, easy to use, and intuitive in practice.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment, the total cross-sectional area of ​​the openings is substantially equal to the total cross-sectional area inside the cylindrical skirt (cross-section taken transversely to axis A). Thus, the flow rate for the tank emptying function is substantial, and the tank can be emptied quickly. Furthermore, a large cross-sectional area allows for the removal of small plant debris such as small leaves, seeds, or other items that might be present in the tank water.

[0011] According to one example, the diameter of the cylindrical skirt can be between 70 millimeters and 100 millimeters. According to a particular example, it is on the order of 85 mm.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the sliding member includes at least a first O-ring above the slots and preferably a second O-ring below the slots.

[0013] This O-ring, or these two O-rings, provide frictional guidance of the cylindrical skirt of the sliding member relative to the tubular guide body. Furthermore, the second O-ring prevents water from passing outside the member. sliding to prevent drips through the guide slots which could run down towards the control sleeve.

[0014] The first O-ring complements the valve and the valve seat to ensure proper sealing of the drainage device in the closed position.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the control sleeve includes protruding elements on its radially outer surface, so as to facilitate the grip of a user's hand in order to allow the transmission of a torque around the axis A. The protruding elements project radially outwards from the generally cylindrical rim of the control sleeve.

[0016] In other words, the user has a good grip when grasping the control sleeve with one hand; it is not necessary to squeeze too hard to still be able to apply a significant torque in rotation around the axis.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the two helical grooves are blind, and the control rod is bordered at both ends by the control sleeve, thus preventing movement of the control rod along its axis W.

[0018] Furthermore, the control rod is neither accessible nor visible from the outside in the radial direction, thus preventing the possible entry of foreign bodies into the area of ​​the control sleeve and at the rod, which could soil or block the mechanism. The control rod is only visible in the axial direction, from the top or bottom of the device.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the two helical grooves have a shallow helix pitch, with a non-reversible ramp effect. This ensures that the closed position is maintained and the open position is maintained, even if an external axial force is applied to the sliding member.

[0020] Herein, "small helix pitch" means a helix pitch less than 75% of the helix diameter. Herein, "non-reversible ramp effect" means the ability of a mechanism to transmit motion from an input to an output (here, the sliding element) without any force or torque applied to the output causing the input (here, the control sleeve) to move.

[0021] For example, the helix pitch is at least less than 2 / 3 of the diameter of the helix traversed by the helical grooves.

[0022] According to one embodiment, an angular stroke of 3 / 4 of a turn is provided to go from the closed position to the open position.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the available stroke for the sliding member in the vertical direction is at least 40 mm. Thus, in the open position, the entire passageway can be exposed and made available.

[0024] This allows for a substantial passage section for the rapid emptying process of the tank.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the through guide slots are vertical (i.e., parallel to A) in the tubular guide body, so the movement of the sliding member is rectilinear and vertical. The guide slots are thus easy to design and manufacture.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the draining device further includes a lower flange fixedly mounted around the tubular guide body to hold the control sleeve in position along the axis.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the draining device further comprises an external sealing gasket, mounted in an external annular groove of the base, above the flange. This eliminates the risk of leakage between the base and the bottom of the tank.

[0028] According to one embodiment, a flush mounting is provided on the inner wall of the tank. Indeed, there are no protrusions that protrude into the tank and there are no recessed areas where debris could accumulate.

[0029] The present invention also relates to a drinking trough comprising a draining device as defined above.

[0030] The invention will be further detailed by describing non-limiting embodiments, and based on the accompanying figures illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig.1] illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a drinking trough equipped with a drainage device according to the present invention; - [Fig.2] shows an exploded perspective view of an example of a drainage device according to the present invention; - [Fig.3] shows a perspective view of the draining device of [Fig.2], in the open position; - [Fig.4] shows a perspective view of the draining device of [Fig.2], in the closed position; - [Fig.5] shows in axial section view the draining device of [Fig.2], the sliding element and the lower flange not having been shown; - [Fig.6] shows a schematic local section view, the section being made along the axis of the control rod and in a vertical plane; - [Fig.7] shows a cross-sectional view of the draining device of [Fig.2], the section being made along the axis of the control rod and along a horizontal plane; - [Fig.8] shows another vertical cross-sectional view of the draining device of [Fig.2], the seals and the lower flange not having been shown, the sliding element having been shown in transparency; - [Fig.9] illustrates the assembly process of the drainage device.

[0031] In the various figures, the same reference numerals designate identical or similar elements. For the sake of clarity, some elements are not necessarily shown to scale.

[0032] Here we use an orthogonal spatial frame of reference such that the direction Z is the local vertical, the directions X and Y correspond to two directions orthogonal to each other and orthogonal to the vertical Z.

[0033] A cylindrical coordinate system is also used with respect to the principal axis A of the device. The direction R is the radial direction. The term "radially outwards" means that one is moving in the opposite direction to the axis, and the term "radially inwards" means that one is moving towards the axis. The term "radially outwards" refers to the side opposite the axis, and the term "radially inwards" refers to the side facing the axis.

[0034] In [Fig. 1], a drinking trough 9 is shown in schematic cross-section view. The drinking trough in question is equipped with a drainage device marked DV.

[0035] This drinking trough can be a small-volume trough, such as a covered barn drinking trough. It can also be a larger-volume trough, for example, an outdoor trough, in an outdoor barn or in a pasture. Of course, the DV drainage device can be suitable for troughs of any volume, say from a few liters to several hundred liters.

[0036] The drinking trough 9 comprises a main body in the shape of a trough, e.g., a robust body with a strong concavity, with a wide opening at the top to allow access for the muzzles of animals coming to drink at this location. The animals in question may be cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, equines, and so on.

[0037] Generally speaking, the term "liquid reservoir" can be used when referring to a drinking trough. Similarly, the term "liquid" can be used generically for the contents, even though in the illustrated example it will simply be water.

[0038] The liquid reservoir 9 includes a marked bottom 90. In the illustrated example, the bottom 90 of the reservoir is substantially flat, but it could be otherwise.

[0039] The DV drain device is installed on the bottom of the tank. Preferably, the DV drain device is installed in the lowest area of ​​the tank bottom if it is not flat, so that the water in the tank can be completely emptied. As will be seen later, the drain device is mounted flush with the upper wall of the tank bottom 90.

[0040] As can be seen in figures 2, 3 and 4, the DV draining device includes a base 1 which is fixed to the bottom of the tank.

[0041] The base 1 comprises a tubular guide body noted 10 and a collar 12.

[0042] The tubular guide body 10 is generally cylindrical and extends around an axis A which is the main axis of the DV device.

[0043] The collar 12 is generally of revolution about axis A. The collar 12 extends along a reference plane perpendicular to axis A. The collar 12 is configured to be fixed to the bottom 90 of the tank, for example by bolting, as will be seen later. The collar 12 has an upper face 12a and a lower face 12b.

[0044] The base 1 is equipped with a valve seat 16. According to the illustrated example, the valve seat 16 has a conicity close to 45°, with an opening directed upwards.

[0045] The base 1 can be made of metal alloy or high-performance plastic material. The base 1 can be made in one piece or in two pieces assembled one inside the other as illustrated in Figures 2 to 4.

[0046] The tubular guide body 10 includes guide slots labeled 14 and 15. The guide slots are through slots (they pass completely through the tubular body). The guide slots are diametrically opposed. A control rod 4 passes through the guide slots.

[0047] In the illustrated example, the guide slots are vertical, i.e. they extend parallel to axis A.

[0048] According to the illustrated example, the control rod 4 is formed as a cylindrical bar of length D6 (cf. [Fig.7]).

[0049] The control rod 4 extends along an axis W perpendicular to the axis A.

[0050] The control rod 4 extends along W from a first end marked 41 up to a second end at the opposite end, marked 42.

[0051] The control rod 4 can be made of metal or metal alloy.

[0052] Sliding member

[0053] The DV drainage device includes a sliding element 2, sliding inside the tubular guide body 10. It is this sliding element which fulfills the classic function of a drain plug.

[0054] The sliding member 2 comprises a closing disc 26 forming a flap, with an edge 17 intended to bear against the aforementioned flap seat 16. The edge 17 has a taper corresponding to the taper of the flap seat so as to provide surface contact over a strip a few mm wide.

[0055] The sliding member comprises a cylindrical skirt 20. The cylindrical skirt 20 has an inner diameter denoted DI and an overall outer diameter denoted D2. The inner diameter of the tubular guide body 10 is denoted D3 (see [Fig. 7]). The outer diameter of the tubular guide body 10 is denoted D4.

[0056] The cylindrical skirt 20 includes openings 62 in its upper part. As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the water (denoted FV) flows from inside the tank through the openings 62 from outside the cylindrical skirt 20. up to the inside of the cylindrical skirt and then downwards and the water is drained under the drain device.

[0057] Cleverly, the total passage area of ​​the lights 62 is substantially equal to the total passage area inside the cylindrical skirt 20 i.e. transverse to the axis A. In practice, the total passage area is ir / 4 x Dl2.

[0058] In the illustrated solution, four oblong passage lights 62 are provided. The passage lights 62 are delimited by brackets 64 which are part of the cylindrical shape of the skirt 20. The brackets 64 are sufficiently wide to maintain adequate mechanical cohesion to the skirt 20 notwithstanding the presence of the lights.

[0059] Note that the number of lights can be less than 4 or greater than 4.

[0060] The cylindrical skirt 20 comprises two diametrically opposed through holes 21, 22 receiving the control rod 4. Preferably, the diameter of the through holes 21, 22 corresponds substantially to the outside diameter of the control rod and receive the control rod 4 without play.

[0061] A thicker section of the cylindrical skirt can be provided at the locations of the through holes to distribute the forces transmitted by the control rod to the cylindrical skirt. Above and below the through holes, external annular grooves 23, 24 are provided to receive seals, which will be discussed later.

[0062] Optionally, axial ribs 28 are also provided on the outside of the skirt as seen in [Fig.2].

[0063] Furthermore, the DV draining device includes a control sleeve marked 3.

[0064] Control sleeve

[0065] The control sleeve 3 is mounted to rotate around the tubular guide body 10.

[0066] The control sleeve 3 generally extends cylindrically around the axis A.

[0067] The control sleeve comprises at least two helical grooves 31, 32, open radially inwards. Each of the helical grooves receives one of the two ends 41, 42 of the control rod 4.

[0068] The control sleeve is movable in rotation around A between a closed position ([Fig.4]) and an open position ([Fig.3]).

[0069] The control sleeve 3 includes on its radially outer surface protruding elements 38, projecting outwards.

[0070] The protruding elements facilitate the user's hand grip in order to allow the transmission of a torque around the axis A.

[0071] The protruding elements are presented here as vertical grooves. In variants, they could have a completely different shape, for example, spikes.

[0072] In the closed position PI, the closing disc 26 forming a valve bears on the valve seat 16 and blocks any passage of liquid through the drain device.

[0073] In the open position P2, the closing disc forming the valve is away from the valve seat and liquid can pass through the ports 62 from the internal volume of the tank, towards the inside of the tubular portion of the base, more precisely towards the inside of the cylindrical skirt.

[0074] Thus the control sleeve remains dry.

[0075] When the control sleeve 3 rotates, the helical grooves 31,32 drive the control rod 4, either by pushing it upwards or by pulling it downwards; moreover, the movement of the control rod is constrained by its insertion in the vertical guide slots 14,15 and consequently the movement of the control rod is a vertical rectilinear movement, as is the movement of the sliding member accordingly.

[0076] The helix pitch is small, i.e., the helix pitch is less than 75% of the diameter D7 of the propeller. There is an irreversible ramp effect. The mechanism transmits a movement from an input (sleeve) to an output (here, the sliding element) without any force or torque exerted on the output being able to move the input, that is, to rotate the control sleeve 3.

[0077] A right-hand helix pitch has been illustrated, where tightening causes closing and loosening causes opening. However, one could alternatively use the reverse logic and a left-hand helix pitch.

[0078] The control sleeve has an outside diameter D8 (excluding protruding elements). The control sleeve 3 has an inside diameter D5. The diameter at the bottom of the groove is denoted D7.

[0079] The diameter D8 can be between 10 cm and 13 cm, such a diameter can be grasped by a human hand even of modest size.

[0080] The height of the base 1 is denoted H1. The height of the sliding member 2 is denoted H2. The height of the control sleeve 3 is denoted H3. H3 can be chosen to be between 5 cm and 8 cm, greater than the available stroke for the sliding member, so as to make it easy for the control sleeve to be grasped by a human hand.

[0081] We can have D7 / D1 less than 1.4 which denotes the radial compactness of the device.

[0082] Joints

[0083] The sliding member 2 is equipped with one or two O-rings.

[0084] The first O-ring 51 is housed in the upper outer annular groove 23 of the sliding member, just below the valve seat, and above the passage lights 62.

[0085] According to an optional feature, a second O-ring 52 is provided housed in another external annular groove 24 of the sliding member, just below the seat of the lights, and below the passage lights.

[0086] Thanks to the two aforementioned O-rings, frictional guidance is ensured whereby the sliding element remains perfectly aligned with the axis of the fixed tubular guide body. The presence of the seals also prevents operating noise.

[0087] In addition, an optional external sealing gasket 53 is provided, mounted in an external annular groove 13 formed in the base 1, above the flange. The sealing gasket 53 prevents leaks between the hole 95 provided in the bottom of the tank and the draining device.

[0088] It is further provided that the collar 12 is fixed to the bottom of the tank by means of a plurality of bolts 7, each received in a different hole 98 in the bottom of the tank and in a hole 18 in the collar. A sealing gasket 71 in the form of a washer can also be provided under the bolt head.

[0089] As seen in [Fig.5], the assembly of the draining device results in a substantial protrusion, in the closed position, between the top of the disc forming the valve 26 and the bottom of the tank 90. ​​The top la of the base protrudes from the upper face 12a of the collar by a height corresponding to the thickness of the bottom wall of the tank, e.g., from ten to fifteen millimeters.

[0090] Furthermore, the mounting of a lower flange marked 8 is planned which prevents the control sleeve from descending and forces the control sleeve to follow only one degree of freedom, namely rotation around the axis A.

[0091] More specifically, the lower flange identified as 8 faces in the axial direction the lower edge 39 of the control sleeve.

[0092] According to one possibility, the lower flange is formed in two semi-circular half-flanges which are joined together by tangential bolts denoted 82 (see [Fig. 3]). Any other means of blocking the descent of the control sleeve could be used.

[0093] Assembly

[0094] With reference to [Fig. 9], the method for mounting the drainage device first involves assembling a sub-assembly 6 composed as follows. The sliding member 2 is placed inside the base 1.

[0095] Next, the through holes 21, 22 are aligned with the guide slots 14 and 15. Visual markers may be provided to ensure accurate indexing of the sliding member 2 in rotation around the axis relative to the guide slots provided in the tubular guide body 10.

[0096] Then the control rod 4 is inserted through the guide slots and through holes. The rod is left protruding on each side by the same dimension E5 outside the guide slots.

[0097] The control sleeve 3 is then brought in from below and along the axis and the upper portion of the helical grooves 31,32 is inserted onto the ends 41,42 of the control rod.

[0098] Following which, the control sleeve 3 is screwed relative to the control rod 4 until the control sleeve comes into contact with the lower face 12b of the collar 12.

[0099] Next, the lower flange 8 is assembled to immobilize the control sleeve along the main axis A. Following this, the control sleeve 3 has only one degree of freedom, namely rotation around the axis A.

[0100] It is noted that the through guide slots can be straight, but they can also be curved, for example according to a large pitch helix for example.

[0101] It is also noted that the control sleeve 3 as illustrated has more than two guide grooves but only two are actually used.

[0102] Cleverly, it is designed so that, even in the highest position of the sliding member 2, i.e., the open position, the lower circular rim 29 remains lower than the lower rim 19 of the tubular guide body (see [Fig. 3]). The water running off the cylindrical skirt does not come into contact with the other parts of the mechanism, in particular the tubular guide body 10 and the control sleeve 3. Consequently, the hand that has operated the control sleeve remains dry and is not soiled by the flow of liquid escaping from the reservoir.

[0103] Each of the diametrically opposed guide slots (14 and 15, respectively) comprises an upper stop, 14a and 15a respectively, and a lower stop, 14b and 15b respectively. It is noted that during the closing movement of the sliding element, the lower stop is not reached by the control rod; it is the closing of the valve that forms the lower stop of the sliding element. Conversely, on the opposite side, the upper stops 14a and 15a halt the upward movement and determine the maximum opening stroke of the sliding element.

[0104] The vertical stroke available for the sliding of the sliding member is therefore slightly less than the distance between the lower stop and the upper stop of the guide slots.

[0105] The available vertical stroke can be between 25 mm and 50 mm. According to a particular example of interest, the vertical stroke is close to 40 millimeters.

Claims

Demands

1. A DV draining device for a liquid reservoir (9) comprising: - a base (1) including a tubular guide body (10) and a flange (12) configured to be fixed to a bottom (90) of a liquid reservoir, the tubular guide body having an axis (A), and the flange extending along a reference plane perpendicular to the axis (A), the base being equipped with a valve seat (16), the tubular guide body including diametrically opposed through guide slots (14, 15) receiving a control rod, - a sliding member (2), mounted to slide inside the tubular guide body (10) and including a closing disc (26) forming a valve, the sliding member including a cylindrical skirt (20) with openings 62 in its upper part, and two diametrically opposed through holes (21, 22) receiving the control rod (4), - a control sleeve (3),mounted for rotation around the tubular guide body and comprising at least two helical grooves (31,32) open radially inwards, each receiving one of the two ends (41,42) of the control rod (4), the sliding member (2) being movable between a closed position (PI) and an open position (P2), by means of the control rod which slides in the guide slots under the effect of the rotation of the control sleeve so that in the closed position, the closing disc forming a valve blocks any passage of liquid through the drain device and in the open position, the closing disc forming a valve is away from the valve seat and liquid can pass through the openings from the internal volume of the tank, towards the inside of the tubular body of the base, the control sleeve thus remaining dry.

2. Drainage device according to claim 1, wherein the total passage area of ​​the lights (62) is substantially equal to the total passage area inside the cylindrical skirt (20).

3. Draining device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the sliding member (2) comprises at least a first O-ring (51) above the ports and a second O-ring (52) below the ports (62).

4. Draining device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control sleeve (3) includes on its radially outer surface protruding elements (38), so as to facilitate the gripping of a hand of the user in order to allow a transmission of a torque around the axis (A).

5. Drainage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the two helical grooves (31,32) are blind, and the control rod (4) is bordered at its two ends (41,42) by the control sleeve (3), thus preventing movement of the control rod along its axis (W).

6. Drainage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the two helical grooves (31,32) have a helix pitch less than 75% of the helix diameter, with a non-reversible ramp effect.

7. Draining device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the through guide slots (14,15) are vertical in tubular guide body (10), providing a vertical rectilinear movement of the sliding member (2).

8. Draining device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a lower flange (8) fixedly mounted around the tubular guide body (10) to hold the control sleeve (3) in position along the axis.

9. Drainage device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an external sealing gasket (53), mounted in an external annular groove (13) formed in the base (1), above the collar (12).

10. Watering trough comprising a drainage device (DV) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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