Air valve

Abstract

To provide an air valve which can easily confirm a situation of a water conduction state and a water cutoff state of piping.SOLUTION: An air valve 1 comprises: a valve box 2 which is connected to piping which may be brought into a water conduction state and a water cutoff state; a lid body 3 in which a large air hole 3a is formed, and which is attached to an upper part of the valve box 2; a wandering valve body 4 which is arranged in the valve box 2, capable of blocking the large air hole 3a of the lid body 3 from below, and formed with a small air hole 4a; a float valve body 5 arranged in the valve box 2, and capable of blocking the small air hole 4a from below; a pin body 6 which has a pin part 6a which can be inserted into the small air hole 4a from above, and a pin head part 6b provided at an upper side of the pin part, and held by the wandering valve body 4 so as to be vertically movable; and a cover body 8 which can cover the valve box 2 to which the lid part 3 is attached, and has a pin head part insertion hole 8a into which the pin head part 6b can be inserted. When the piping is in the water cutoff state, the pin head part 6b is brought into a state that an upper end of the pin head part 6b is located in the vicinity of an upper face of the cover body 8, and when the piping is in the water conduction state, the pin head part is brought into a state that the upper end is raised and protruded long from the upper face of the cover body 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air valve that is connected to a pipe through which water flows and that performs intake and exhaust. [Background technology]

[0002] Air valves are installed at multiple locations and are widely used in various places, such as in pipelines for water supply and sewerage, agricultural water, or industrial water. Air valves have a large air hole and a small air hole. When the pipes switch from a water-passing state to a water-cut state, such as when the upstream pump is stopped (or the upstream valve is closed), the air valve can rapidly drain the water in the pipes by suctioning outside air through the large air hole. When the pipes switch from a water-cut state to a water-passing state, such as when the upstream pump is operated (or the upstream valve is opened), the air (including other gases) in the pipes can be rapidly exhausted to the outside through the large air hole by large-volume exhaust (rapid exhaust). After the large-volume exhaust is finished, the pipes return to a normal water-passing state, in which water flows through the pipes at normal pressure, and a small-volume exhaust is performed, in which air that has entered the pipes for various reasons is exhausted to the outside in small amounts through the small air hole.

[0003] Many air valves have a basic structure that includes a valve box connected to a pipe, a cover body with a large air hole formed therein and attached to the valve box, a floating valve body arranged inside the valve box and capable of blocking the large air hole in the cover body from below and with a small air hole formed therein, a float valve body arranged inside the valve box and capable of blocking the small air hole from below, and a cover body that can cover the valve box with the cover body attached (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The float valve body and the floating valve body have a specific gravity smaller than that of water. A separate repair valve having a water stop valve portion that controls the intrusion of water into the valve box is usually connected between the air valve and the pipe.

[0004] In addition to the basic structure described above, air valves are known to have structures with various functions. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air valve in which the float valve body is composed of a thick-walled cylindrical float peripheral portion having a central hole and a substantially cylindrical float central portion inserted into the central hole, and even if the inclination angle of the air valve is large, the small air hole can be properly blocked by the float central portion when a small amount of air is exhausted. Patent Document 2 discloses a pin body that can be inserted into the small air hole from above, and can efficiently suppress the adhesion of foreign matter to the small air hole and its vicinity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-044356 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-116899 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, the water flow and water cutoff states of a pipe may change frequently (e.g., daily), such as in an agricultural water pipeline. In such cases, whether the pipe is in a water flow or water cutoff state is generally checked by going to the supply destination (field or end of the pipe) and checking the water flow rate, but there may be valves along the way or a malfunction in part of the pipe, and it is not possible to check whether the water flow and water cutoff state of the entire pipe is as desired. The present inventors considered it desirable to be able to easily check the water flow and water cutoff state of the pipe by using air valves installed at multiple points on the pipe, and after extensive research, created the present invention.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an air valve that makes it possible to easily check the water flow status and water cut-off status of piping. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the air valve described in claim 1 comprises a valve box connected to a piping that can be in a water-flowing state and a water-cut state, a lid body having a large air hole formed therein and attached to the top of the valve box, a floating valve body arranged within the valve box and capable of blocking the large air hole in the lid body from below and having a small air hole formed therein, a float valve body arranged within the valve box and capable of blocking the small air hole from below, a pin body having a pin portion that can be inserted into the small air hole from above and a pin head provided above the pin portion and held by the floating valve body so as to be movable up and down, and a cover body that can cover the valve box to which the lid body is attached and has a pin head insertion hole through which the pin head can be inserted, and when the piping is in the water-cut state, the upper end of the pin head is located near the upper surface of the cover body, and when the piping is in the water-flowing state, the pin head is raised and protrudes a long way from the upper surface of the cover body.

[0009] The air valve according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air valve according to the first aspect, further comprising an elastic body that is supported from below by the floating valve body and supports the pin head from below. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the air valve of the present invention, it is possible to easily check the water flow status and water cut-off status of the pipes. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the air valve according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the air valve (a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2). FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the air valve shown in FIG. 2 (a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2). [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the air valve shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the valve body of the air valve. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the state immediately before the lid body is fixed to the valve body in the air valve of the same embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a front view of the air valve shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the air valve of the same as above when the small air hole is blocked while the large air hole is blocked. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the air valve of the same as above when the large air hole is blocked and the small air hole is open. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the air valve of the same as above when the large air hole is blocked and the tip of the pin portion is poking the float valve body. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of a modified pin head in FIG. 10. [Figure 13] 13 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which an excessive external force is applied in FIG. 12. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, an air valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a valve box 2, a cover 3, a floating valve element 4, a float valve element 5, a pin element 6, an elastic body 7, a cover element 8, and a valve element guide 9. Figures 1, 3, and 4 show the state of the air valve 1 when the piping is cut off from water.

[0013] The valve box 2 is connected to the piping. The piping can be in a water-flowing state or a water-cut state. The valve box 2 has a water-conducting section 2a and a hollow section 2b above it. The valve box 2 can be made of, for example, cast iron. The valve box 2 is usually connected to the piping via a separate repair valve (not shown). The repair valve has a water stop valve portion that controls water from entering the hollow section 2b through the water-conducting section 2a. It is also possible to provide a water stop valve in the water-conducting section 2a so that the valve box 2 can be connected directly to the piping without the repair valve.

[0014] Also, the lid 3 is attached to the valve box 2 as described later. Generally, the means for this is fastening using bolts and nuts, but as a means for enabling quick attachment, it is possible to provide a plurality of (two in the figures) lid insertion grooves 2c (shown by broken lines in FIG. 6) as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 and a plurality of (two in the figures) lever accommodating grooves 2d as shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. The lid insertion groove 2c is formed at a certain length in the circumferential direction from the surface 2ca on the side to be inserted, as shown by broken lines in FIG. 6, so that the insertion portion 3b described later can be inserted by turning the lid 3. When the insertion portion 3b of the lid 3 is inserted into the lid insertion groove 2c and the rotational positions of the lever accommodating groove 2d and the lever 31 described later are approximately aligned, the lever 31 can be lowered to accommodate a part of it.

[0015] The cover 3 is attached to the top of the valve box 2. The cover 3 is attached from above the valve box 2. A large air hole 3a is formed in the cover 3. The large air hole 3a is formed in the center of the cover 3. The cover 3 can be made of, for example, cast iron.

[0016] The cover body 3 can have a plurality of (two in the figures) insertion parts 3b as shown in Figures 3 and 7, and a plurality of (two in the figures) levers 31 as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7, as means for attaching it to the valve box 2. As shown in Figure 7, the insertion parts 3b are provided on the outer periphery of the upper part of the cover body 3 so as to protrude outward (radially outward) like a blade. The outer periphery of the insertion parts 3b is arc-shaped. The levers 31 can swing up and down.

[0017] The cover body 3 can be placed on the valve box 2 as shown in Figure 7 by grasping and moving the lever 31, etc. Then, the cover body 3 is turned to insert its insertion part 3b into the cover body insertion groove 2c of the valve box 2, and a part of the lever 31 of the cover body 3 is accommodated in the lever accommodation groove 2d of the valve box 2. In this way, the attached cover body 3 is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction, and the cover body 3 is attached to the valve box 2.

[0018] In order to enable the cover body 3 to rotate smoothly relative to the valve box 2, an O-ring 32 is provided on the peripheral portion of the underside of the cover body 3, and an auxiliary ring 3A and an O-ring 3B are arranged below that, so that the O-ring 3B can be made to contact the upper side of a step formed on the wall surface of the hollow portion 2b of the valve box 2.

[0019] An O-ring 33 is provided on the underside of the cover 3 near the large air hole 3a to allow the floating valve element 4 to make good, tight contact with the large air hole 3a in order to close the large air hole 3a from below. Instead of this O-ring 33, an O-ring may be provided on the upper end surface of the floating valve element 4 at a corresponding position.

[0020] The floating valve body 4 is disposed in the valve box 2. The floating valve body 4 may be, for example, in the shape of a roughly circular plate as shown in the figure. A small air hole 4a is formed in the floating valve body 4. The small air hole 4a has a smaller diameter than the large air hole 3a. The small air hole 4a is formed penetrating vertically at the position of the central axis of the floating valve body 4. In detail, the floating valve body 4 has a small air hole forming member 41 in which the small air hole 4a is formed. The small air hole forming member 41 is composed of a valve seat holder 41a and a valve seat 41b below it. The valve seat 41b has elasticity, and when the float valve body 5 comes into close contact with it from below, the small air hole 4a is closed.

[0021] The floating valve body 4 has a flat portion on the periphery of its upper surface so that it can come into close contact with the cover body 3. The floating valve body 4 also has a recess 4b in the center of its lower surface so that the upper end 5Aa of the float valve body 5 fits in. A through hole is formed in the floating valve body 4 in the lateral direction so that air can pass from its outer circumferential surface to the recess 4b.

[0022] The floating valve body 4 is formed with a pin body holding portion 4c that holds a pin head portion 6b (described later) of the pin body 6 so that it can move up and down. The pin body holding portion 4c can have a top portion with a hole portion in the center through which the pin head portion 6b is inserted. The pin body holding portion 4c can be formed, for example, on the upper portion of the valve seat holder 41a with an inverted U-shaped cross section, but it may also be molded integrally with other portions of the floating valve body 4, or may be manufactured separately and connected to other portions.

[0023] The float valve body 5 is disposed in the valve box 2 and can block the small air hole 4a of the floating valve body 4 from below. The float valve body 5 can be made of a single general member, but like the float valve body described in Patent Document 1, it can be made to be roughly cylindrical overall and composed of a float central part 5A and a float peripheral part 5B. The air valve 1 equipped with such a float valve body 5 is likely to operate normally even if the inclination angle when installed is large, and is used, for example, in pipelines for agricultural water. The float peripheral part 5B is a thick-walled cylindrical shape having a central hole around the central axis, and the float central part 5A is roughly cylindrical and is inserted into the central hole of the float peripheral part 5B. The float peripheral part 5B is heavier than the float central part 5A. The gap between the float central part 5A and the float peripheral part 5B is determined so that the float central part 5A operates smoothly in water, taking into consideration the intrusion of foreign matter and surface tension.

[0024] The float central portion 5A has an upper end 5Aa tapered into a truncated cone shape so that the end face of the upper end 5Aa can tightly contact the valve seat 41b when closing the small air hole 4a. The end face of the upper end 5Aa is approximately flat, or may have a slight curvature. The upper end face of the float peripheral portion 5B is flat so that when it comes into contact with the floating valve disc 4, it may shift slightly laterally but will not tilt relative to the floating valve disc 4.

[0025] The lower end of the float central portion 5A has a flange portion 5Ab with a larger diameter than its upper portion. The central hole of the float peripheral portion 5B has a portion at its lower end with a larger diameter than its upper portion so that the flange portion 5Ab can fit into it.

[0026] The pin body 6 has a pin portion 6a that can be inserted from above into the small air hole 4a of the floating valve body 4, and also has a pin head portion 6b provided on the upper side of the pin portion 6a. The pin head portion 6b is held by the floating valve body 4 (more specifically, the pin body holding portion 4c) so that it can move up and down. The portion of the pin head portion 6b that moves up and down relative to the pin body holding portion 4c is cylindrical, and a flange portion 6ba is provided at the lower end so that the pin body holding portion 4c can prevent the pin head portion 6b from slipping out upward.

[0027] The elastic body 7 is supported from below by the floating valve body 4 (more specifically, the periphery of the upper opening of the small air hole 4a) and also supports the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 from below. The elastic body 7 can support the pin head 6b so that the tip (lower end) of the pin part 6a does not come out of the lower opening of the small air hole 4a in the normal state (the state in which the pin head 6b is not pushed in from above). In Figs. 3 and 4, the elastic body 7 is configured so that the tip of the pin part 6a is located above the small air hole 4a in the valve seat 41b in the normal state. In the illustrated example, the elastic body 7 is a spring body, but other elastic bodies such as rubber can also be used. Specifically, the elastic body 7 can be arranged inside the valve seat holder 41a and below the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 to surround the pin part 6a.

[0028] The elastic body 7 can be omitted in some cases, but using the elastic body 7 has the advantage that, as described later, when the piping is in a water-passing state, the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 protrudes outward from the top surface of the cover body 8, and even if an external force is accidentally applied to it for an instant, it will repel the force and return to its original position when the external force is removed. Also, even if an external force is accidentally applied for an instant, the tip of the pin body 6 will be prevented from reaching the float valve body 5 unless the external force is excessive.

[0029] The cover body 8 can cover the valve box 2 to which the lid body 3 is attached. The cover body 8 can be attached to the lid body 3 in a variety of ways. For example, the cover body 8 can be attached by threading a lid body mounting bolt 8A through a hole provided in the cover body 8 into a screw hole 2e provided in the valve box 2.

[0030] The cover body 8 has a pin head insertion hole 8a through which the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 can be inserted. The pin head insertion hole 8a is sized to fit the pin head 6b as shown in FIG. 2. In detail, the cover body 8 has an insertion hole forming member 81 in which the pin head insertion hole 8a is formed, and this can be attached to the center of the cover body 8. The insertion hole forming member 81 has a recess in its lower part so that the pin body holding part 4c of the floating valve body 4 does not collide with the pin head insertion hole 8a even when it rises. It is needless to say that the pin head insertion hole 8a through which the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 can be inserted may be simply formed in the cover body 8 without providing the insertion hole forming member 81.

[0031] The valve disc guide 9 is cylindrical with a bottom, is fixed in position inside the valve box 2, and has a window hole 9a through which air and water can pass. The window hole 9a is provided at appropriate positions on the side and bottom. The floating valve disc 4 and the float valve disc 5 are disposed inside the valve disc guide 9, and the valve disc guide 9 can prevent them from shifting laterally.

[0032] The operation of the air valve 1 described above is as follows.

[0033] When the upstream pump is stopped (or the upstream valve is closed), etc., the floating valve body 4 and the float valve body 5 of the air valve 1 are lowered in the valve box 2 (see Figures 3 and 4). Then, the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 is lowered and its upper end is located near the upper surface of the cover body 8 (see Figure 1). In detail, the upper end of the pin head 6b can be located slightly above the upper surface of the cover body 8, which is preferable because the air valve 1 can operate normally even if the inclination angle when installed is large (for example, about 15 degrees). Alternatively, the upper end of the pin head 6b can be located flush with or slightly below the upper surface of the cover body 8 as long as it does not hinder the vertical movement of the floating valve body 4. By visually checking that the upper end of the pin head 6b is located near the upper surface of the cover body 8, it is easy to confirm that the pipe is in a water-cut state. If the water supply to the piping continues to be cut off even after that, by visually checking that the upper end of the pin head 6b is positioned near the upper surface of the cover body 8, it is possible to easily confirm that the water supply to the piping is cut off.

[0034] When the air valve 1 exhausts a large amount of air when the piping switches from a water-cut state to a water-passing state, for example, when the upstream pump is operated (or the upstream valve is opened), the air is rapidly exhausted through the large air hole 3a, water enters the valve box 2, the water level rises, the floating valve body 4 and the float valve body 5 float up, and the floating valve body 4 comes into close contact with the cover body 3 from below and closes the large air hole 3a. Then, the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 rises and protrudes long from the top surface of the cover body 8 (see Figure 8). By visually checking this state, it is easy to confirm that the piping is now in a water-passing state. If the water-passing state of the piping continues after that, it is easy to confirm that the piping is in a water-passing state by visually checking that the pin head 6b protrudes long from the top surface of the cover body 8.

[0035] After the large amount of exhaust is finished, the water level will be at a height according to the amount of air accumulated in the valve box 2, and when the distance from the water level to the small air hole 4a is less than a predetermined distance, the float center part 5A of the float valve body 5 blocks the small air hole 4a from below (see Figure 9), and when the distance exceeds the predetermined distance, the float center part 5A moves down and the small air hole 4a is opened, and a small amount of exhaust is performed (see Figure 10). This predetermined distance can be determined by the weight of the float center part 5A, etc. In a normal water flow state where water flows through the pipe at normal pressure, the float center part 5A is often in a state where the small air hole 4a is blocked (see Figure 9). If air is mixed with the water in the pipe for some reason, the air will mix with the water and enter the hollow part 2b of the valve box 2 from the pipe, and the amount of air accumulated in the valve box 2 will increase, and when the water level drops, the small air hole 4a will be opened and a small amount of exhaust will be performed. When the float valve body 5 is a general one-piece member, the entire float valve body 5 moves along the float center portion 5A.

[0036] As described above, according to the air valve 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, whether the water cutoff state and water flow state of the piping are as desired can be determined based on the state of the pin head 6b of the air valve 1 installed in each location, i.e., It is possible to easily check by visually checking whether the upper end of the pin head 6b is located near the top surface of the cover body 8 or whether the pin head 6b is protruding long from the top surface of the cover body 8. In addition, by pushing down the pin head 6b of the pin body 6 held by the floating valve body 4 so as to be movable up and down, and protruding the tip of the pin part 6a from the lower opening of the small air hole 4a and poking the float valve body 5 (float central part 5A) (see FIG. 11), the air and water in the valve box 2 are sucked into the small air hole 4a and discharged due to the high pressure until the float valve body 5 (float central part 5A) is pushed down and closes the small air hole 4a again. This makes it easy to check whether the float valve body 5 (float central part 5A) is operating normally (i.e., the small amount of exhaust is operating normally). Furthermore, by performing the above-mentioned operation of pushing down the pin head 6b and poking the float valve body 5 (float central portion 5A) with the tip of the pin portion 6a periodically or irregularly, it is also possible to clean the inside of the small air hole 4a and the vicinity of the small air hole 4a.

[0037] Although the air valve according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, it is also possible to provide a sensor or a surveillance camera on the cover body 8 that detects the state of the pin head 6b so that the state in which the upper end of the pin head 6b is located near the top surface of the cover body 8 and the state in which the pin head 6b protrudes a long way from the top surface of the cover body 8 can be visually and remotely confirmed.

[0038] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to provide a split portion 6bb that splits the pin head 6b into upper and lower parts. Since the pin head 6 is supported from below by the elastic body 7, the upper side 6bba and the lower side 6bbb of the split portion 6bb are usually in contact with each other (regardless of the vertical movement of the floating valve body 4). Here, even if the pin head 6b is suddenly hit by something while protruding from the upper surface of the cover body 8 and an excessive external force is applied in a direction other than the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 13, the shape of the lower side 6bbb of the split portion 6bb remains almost the same, and a part of the upper side 6bba of the split portion 6bb separates from the lower side 6bbb, so that the upper side 6bba can become inclined, making it very difficult for the pin head 6b or the pin portion 6a to be damaged or deformed. Specifically, the split portion 6bb can be provided in the flange portion 6ba. Even if the split portion 6bb that splits the pin head 6b into upper and lower parts is provided, the air valve 1 operates in the same way as the one described above (without the split portion 6bb). Also, the function of the split part 6bb has been explained using Fig. 12, which is a modification of Fig. 10, as a representative example, but the function of the split part 6bb is the same even in the states of Fig. 9 and Fig. 11. Also, Fig. 13 shows a state in which something has collided from the right side in the figure, causing a part of the upper side 6bba of the split part 6bb (the right side part) to separate from the lower side 6bbb, causing the upper side 6bba to become slanted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Air valve 2 Valve box 2a Water guide section 2b Hollow part 2c Lid insertion groove 2ca Insertion side 2d Lever accommodation groove 2e screw hole 3 Lid 3a Large air hole 3b Insertion part 31 Lever 32 O-ring 33 O-ring 3A Auxiliary Ring 3B O-ring 4 Floating valve disc 4a Small air hole 4b Recess 4c Pin body holding part 41 Small air hole forming member 41a Valve seat holder 41b Valve seat 5 Float valve body 5A Center of float 5Aa Upper end 5Ab Tsuba 5B Float periphery 6 pin body 6a Pin section 6b Pin head 6ba Tsuba part 6bb split part 6bba Upper side of the split 6bbb Lower side of division 7 Elastic Body 8 Cover body 8a Pin head insertion hole 81 Insertion hole forming member 8A Lid mounting bolt 9 Valve body guide 9a Window hole

Claims

1. A valve box connected to a pipe that may be in a water flow state or a water cut-off state; A cover body having a large air hole and attached to the upper part of the valve body; A floating valve body disposed in the valve box and capable of blocking the large air hole of the lid body from below, the floating valve body having a small air hole formed therein; A float valve body that is disposed in the valve box and can close the small air hole from below; a pin body having a pin portion that can be inserted into the small air hole from above and a pin head portion that is provided above the pin portion and is held by the floating valve body so as to be movable up and down; a cover body that can cover the valve box to which the lid body is attached and has a pin head insertion hole through which the pin head can be inserted; The pin head is an air valve in which the upper end of the pin head is located near the upper surface of the cover body when the piping is in the water-cut state, and which rises and protrudes a long way from the upper surface of the cover body when the piping is in the water-flow state.

2. 2. The air valve according to claim 1, The air valve further comprises an elastic body supported from below by the floating valve body and supporting the pin head from below.

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