Check valve with cracking pressure regulation function

Abstract

The present invention relates to a check valve that can easily adjust the cracking pressure without replacing the spring by adjusting the elastic force of the spring using a screw type, and can prevent chattering. The check valve according to one aspect of the present invention may include: a first valve body connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied; a seat disposed at a front end of the first valve body and defining a flow path through which fluid flowing through the pipe enters; a poppet movably disposed in an inner space of the first valve body and closing and opening the flow path by coming into contact with or separating from a rear end of the seat; a spring that provides an elastic force to press the poppet toward the seat in the inner space of the first valve body; a spring support member movably disposed at the rear end of the first valve body in a forward and rearward direction and supporting the rear end of the spring; a second valve body communicated with the rear end of the first valve body and connected to a pipe through which the fluid is discharged; and an elastic force adjustment member disposed between the rear end of the first valve body and the front end of the second valve body and adjusting the elastic force of the spring by moving the spring support member in a forward and rearward direction relative to the first valve body using an external force.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a check valve, and more particularly to a check valve that can adjust cracking pressure and prevent chattering by varying the elastic force of a spring that elastically supports a poppet that opens and closes a flow path within a valve body. [Background technology]

[0002] A check valve is a valve that allows pressure flow in only one direction and prevents reverse flow. The valve structure is such that a poppet is held in close contact with a seat by the elastic force of a spring, and when fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet of the valve, if the fluid pressure exceeds the magnitude of the elastic force, the poppet is pushed out and the fluid flows. The minimum opening pressure of the check valve at this time is called the cracking pressure.

[0003] On the other hand, the flow in the reverse direction is completely prevented by hydraulically pressing the poppet against the seat, eliminating leakage.

[0004] The cracking pressure of such a check valve is determined by the spring constant of the internal spring and the initial compression length at the time of assembly. When the fluid pressure inside the check valve exceeds the cracking pressure, it pushes the poppet to open the valve, and the spring is compressed, creating a restoring force that tries to close the valve.

[0005] At this time, if the balance between the fluid pressure and the spring's restoring force becomes unstable, the valve will open and close rapidly, causing chattering. Chattering reduces the valve's durability and causes noise. This chattering mainly occurs in the area where the cracking pressure and fluid pressure are similar.

[0006] Conventionally, the elastic force of the spring pressing against the poppet is a preset cracking pressure, so to change the cracking pressure, a spring with a different elastic coefficient must be selected, which not only makes assembly cumbersome each time, but also means that the cracking pressure cannot be adjusted without replacing the spring. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide a check valve that can easily adjust the cracking pressure without replacing the spring by adjusting the elastic force of the spring with a screw, and that can prevent chattering. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a check valve that achieves the above object may include: a first valve body connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied; a seat disposed at a front end of the first valve body and defining a flow path through which fluid flowing through the pipe enters; a poppet movably disposed in an inner space of the first valve body and opening and closing the flow path by coming into contact with or separating from a rear end of the seat; a spring that provides an elastic force that presses the poppet toward the seat in the inner space of the first valve body; a spring support member movably disposed at the rear end of the first valve body in a front-rear direction and supporting the rear end of the spring; a second valve body that is connected to the rear end of the first valve body and connected to a pipe that discharges the fluid; and an elastic force adjustment member disposed between the rear end of the first valve body and the front end of the second valve body and that adjusts the elastic force of the spring by moving the spring support member in a front-rear direction relative to the first valve body in response to an external force.

[0009] The spring support member comprises a ring-shaped support plate that comes into contact with the rear end of the spring to support the rear end of the spring, and a male threaded portion that has a circular tubular shape extending rearward from the support plate and has a screw thread formed on its outer peripheral surface. A female threaded portion, the female threaded portion having a screw thread formed on its inner peripheral surface that is helically coupled with the male threaded portion, is formed at the front end of the second valve body so as to penetrate in the front-to-rear direction. The elastic force adjustment member has a through hole formed in its center through which the male threaded portion penetrates, and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole has a screw thread that is helically coupled with the male threaded portion. When the elastic force adjustment member is rotated relative to the first valve body and the second valve body, the male threaded portion can move in the front-to-rear direction while making a rotational motion.

[0010] The first valve body and the second valve body may be arranged coaxially.

[0011] In the check valve according to another aspect of the present invention, a handle portion may be formed on the edge portion of the elastic force adjustment member for applying an operating force with a tool or by hand.

[0012] A check valve according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a first valve body connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied; a seat disposed at a front end of the first valve body and having a flow path through which the fluid flowing through the pipe flows; a poppet movably disposed in an inner space of the first valve body and opening and closing the flow path by coming into contact with or separating from a rear end of the seat; a spring that provides elastic force to press the poppet toward the seat in the inner space of the first valve body; and a spring connected to the rear end of the first valve body in a restrained state so as to be movable back and forth in an axial direction but not to rotate in a circumferential direction, and supporting the rear end of the spring by contacting the rear end of the spring. a spring support member having a circular tube shape extending rearward from the support plate and including a male threaded portion having a screw thread formed on its outer circumferential surface, and supporting a rear end of the spring; a second valve body provided to communicate with the rear end of the first valve body and connected to a pipe for discharging a fluid; and an elastic force adjustment member disposed between the rear end of the first valve body and the front end of the second valve body, rotatable relative to the first valve body and the second valve body, having a through hole formed in its center through which the male threaded portion passes, and having a screw thread formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole that is helically coupled with the male threaded portion, and rotating in response to an external force to move the spring support member in the front-rear direction.

[0013] A spline groove and a spline protrusion inserted into the spline groove may be formed between the support plate of the spring support member and the rear end of the hollow portion of the first valve body, and the spline groove and the spline protrusion may prevent the spring support member from rotating relative to the first valve body, and may only move back and forth in the axial direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, when adjusting the elastic force of the spring in accordance with the cracking pressure of the check valve, by gripping and turning the elastic force adjustment member by hand or with a tool, the elastic force adjustment member and the spring support member are connected by threads, and the spring support member moves forward or backward due to the interaction of the threads, thereby making it easy to adjust the elastic force of the spring. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a check valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the check valve shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration and operation of the check valve shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration and operation of the check valve shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a spring support member constituting a check valve according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of a check valve according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A check valve according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Because the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various forms, specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, but rather should be understood as including all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In the description of each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar components. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of structures may be exaggerated or reduced in size for clarity of the present invention or to understand the general configuration.

[0017] Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning that they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application. For ease of understanding, the upstream side where the fluid flows in is defined as the front side of the check valve, and the downstream side where the fluid is discharged is defined as the rear side of the check valve.

[0018] 1 to 4, a check valve according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first valve body 10, a second valve body 20, a seat fixing member 30, a seat 40, a poppet 50, a spring 60, a spring support member 70, and an elastic force adjusting member 80.

[0019] The first valve body 10 is connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied via a seat fixing member 30. A hollow portion 11 is formed in the center of the first valve body 10 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction, and a screw thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the front side of the hollow portion 11 to helically connect the seat fixing member 30. In addition, a seat 40, a poppet 50, a spring 60, and a spring support member 70 are arranged in this order on the rear side of the hollow portion 11, and open and close the flow path according to the pressure of the fluid.

[0020] The second valve body 20 is provided coaxially behind the first valve body 10, and has a hollow portion 21 formed in the center that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction and communicates with the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10. The second valve body 20 is connected to a pipe that discharges the fluid, and discharges the fluid.

[0021] The seat fixing member 30 connects the first valve body 10 to a pipe through which fluid is supplied, and also functions to fix the seat 40 within the first valve body 10. A through-hole 31, through which fluid passes, is formed in the center of the seat fixing member 30 so as to pass through in the front-to-rear direction. In addition, a thread 32 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the seat fixing member 30, which is threadedly coupled to a thread formed on the inner circumferential surface of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10, and is threadedly coupled to the front end of the first valve body 10.

[0022] The seat 40 is located at the front of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10 and is connected to a pipe through which fluid is supplied, and a fluid passage 41 is formed in the center thereof so as to pass through in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the passage 41 is formed in a conical shape whose diameter increases toward the rear, and it comes into close contact with the front end of the poppet 50, which opens and closes the passage.

[0023] The poppet 50 is slidably mounted in the front-rear direction within the inner space of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10. The poppet 50 is pressed forward by the elastic force of a spring 60, and its front end elastically contacts the rear end of the flow passage 41 of the seat 40, thereby opening or closing the flow passage 41 by contacting or separating from the flow passage 41 of the seat 40 according to fluid pressure. The outer diameter of the poppet 50 is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10, allowing fluid to flow through the space between the outer peripheral surface of the poppet 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10. In addition, a plurality of poppet holes 51 are formed through the outer peripheral surface of the poppet 50 so that fluid can flow smoothly rearward and be discharged when the flow passage 41 is opened.

[0024] A packing ring 55 made of an elastic material such as rubber or silicone may be provided at the front end of the poppet 50, and provides a watertight seal by coming into close contact with the rear end of the flow passage 41 of the seat 40.

[0025] The spring 60 is provided behind the poppet 50, and its front end is supported by the rear end of the poppet 50, while its rear end is supported by the spring support member 70, thereby applying a forward elastic force to the poppet 50. The cracking pressure at which the poppet 50 separates from the rear end of the flow passage 41 in the seat 40 to open the flow passage is determined by the elastic force of the spring 60.

[0026] The elastic force of the spring 60 can be varied by adjusting the position of the spring support member 70 in the front-rear direction.

[0027] The spring support member 70 adjusts the elastic force of the spring 60 in accordance with cracking pressure by moving back and forth at the rear end of the first valve body 10 by an elastic force adjustment member 80. To this end, the spring support member 70 may include a ring-shaped support plate 71 that contacts and supports the rear end of the spring 60, and a male screw portion 72 that has a cylindrical shape extending rearward from the support plate 71 and has a screw thread formed on its outer circumferential surface.

[0028] The male thread portion 72 is screw-engaged with the threads on the inner peripheral surface of the female thread portion 22 formed on the front side of the hollow portion 21 in the center of the second valve body 20.

[0029] The elastic force adjusting member 80 is disposed between the rear end of the first valve body 10 and the front end of the second valve body 20 and is installed to rotate relative to the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20. The elastic force adjusting member 80 has a through hole 81 formed in the center, through which the male thread portion 72 of the spring support member 70 passes, and a screw thread formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 81 that is helically coupled with the male thread portion 72, and rotates in response to an external force, thereby moving the spring support member 70 in the forward and backward directions.

[0030] 5, a handle portion 73 for applying an operating force with a tool or a human hand may be formed on the edge portion of the elastic force adjustment member 80. The handle portion 73 may protrude outward from the first valve body 10 and the second valve body 20 and may be formed in a shape that allows a person to grip it with their hand or a tool and easily turn it.

[0031] In the check valve of the present invention, when the elastic force of the spring 60 is to be adjusted according to the cracking pressure, the elastic force adjusting member 80 is rotated by hand or with a tool. Since the elastic force adjusting member 80 and the spring support member 70 are connected by a thread, the spring support member 70 moves forward or backward as it rotates, thereby allowing the elastic force of the spring 60 to be easily adjusted for use.

[0032] In this embodiment, the male threaded portion 72 of the spring support member 70 is screw-connected to the female threaded portion 22 of the second valve body 20, and rotation of the elastic force adjustment member 80 causes the spring support member 70 to move back and forth while rotating. However, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible that the female threaded portion 22 (see FIG. 3) is not formed on the front side of the second valve body 20, and the male threaded portion 72 of the spring support member 70 is simply inserted into the front side of the hollow portion 21 of the second valve body 20, and the support plate 71 of the spring support member 70 is connected to the rear end of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10 in a state where it can move back and forth in the axial direction but is restrained from rotating circumferentially.

[0033] A spline groove 75 may be formed in the support plate 71 of the spring support member 70, and a spline protrusion 76 that is inserted into the spline groove 75 may be formed at the rear end of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, so that the spline groove 75 and the spline protrusion 76 allow the spring support member 70 to move only forward and backward in the axial direction without rotating relative to the first valve body 10. Of course, conversely, a spline protrusion 76 may be formed so as to protrude from the support plate 71 of the spring support member 70, and a spline groove 75 that is inserted and guided by the spline protrusion 76 may be formed at the rear end of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10 so as to extend in the front-rear direction.

[0034] In the elastic force adjusting member 80, similarly to the above-described embodiment, a thread that is helically coupled with the male thread portion 72 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 81.

[0035] Therefore, when the elastic force adjustment member 80 is rotated, the spring support member 70 does not rotate, but moves forward or backward relative to the rear end of the hollow portion 11 of the first valve body 10, thereby adjusting the elastic force of the spring 60.

[0036] The above detailed description of the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art or those with ordinary knowledge in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and technical scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] The present invention can be applied to a check valve that controls the flow of fluid in a pipe in one direction.

Claims

1. a first valve body connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied; a seat disposed at a front end of the first valve body, the seat having a flow path through which the fluid flowing through the pipe flows; a poppet movably provided in the inner space of the first valve body, the poppet coming into contact with or separating from the rear end of the seat to open or close the flow path; a spring that provides elastic force to press the poppet toward the seat in the inner space of the first valve body; a spring support member provided at a rear end of the first valve body so as to be movable in the front-rear direction and supporting a rear end of the spring; a second valve body provided to communicate with a rear end portion of the first valve body and connected to a pipe for discharging a fluid; an elastic force adjusting member disposed between the rear end of the first valve body and the front end of the second valve body, the elastic force adjusting member adjusting the elastic force of the spring by moving the spring support member in the front-rear direction relative to the first valve body in response to an external force; A check valve comprising:

2. the spring support member includes a ring-shaped support plate that contacts the rear end of the spring to support the rear end of the spring, and a male screw portion that has a circular tubular shape extending rearward from the support plate and has a screw thread formed on an outer peripheral surface, a female threaded portion having a thread formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof to be helically coupled with the male threaded portion is formed at a front end portion of the second valve body so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction, 2. The check valve according to claim 1, wherein the elastic force adjustment member has a through hole at its center, through which the male thread portion passes, and a thread formed on an inner peripheral surface of the through hole that is helically coupled with the male thread portion, and wherein when the elastic force adjustment member is rotated relative to the first valve body and the second valve body, the male thread portion moves back and forth while rotating.

3. 3. The check valve according to claim 2, wherein a handle portion is formed on an edge portion of the elastic force adjustment member for applying an operating force with a tool or by hand.

4. 3. The check valve of claim 2, wherein the first valve body and the second valve body are coaxially disposed.

5. a first valve body connected to a pipe through which a fluid is supplied; a seat disposed at a front end of the first valve body, the seat having a flow path through which the fluid flowing through the pipe flows; a poppet movably provided in the inner space of the first valve body, the poppet coming into contact with or separating from the rear end of the seat to open or close the flow path; a spring that provides elastic force to press the poppet toward the seat in the inner space of the first valve body; a ring-shaped support plate connected to the rear end of the first valve body in a state where it is restrained so as to be able to move back and forth in the axial direction but not to rotate in the circumferential direction, and which comes into contact with the rear end of the spring to support the rear end of the spring; and a spring support member having a cylindrical shape extending rearward from the support plate, which includes a male screw portion having a screw thread formed on its outer peripheral surface and which supports the rear end of the spring; a second valve body provided to communicate with a rear end portion of the first valve body and connected to a pipe for discharging a fluid; an elastic force adjusting member disposed between the rear end of the first valve body and the front end of the second valve body, rotatable relative to the first valve body and the second valve body, having a through hole at its center through which the male screw portion passes, and having threads formed on an inner circumferential surface of the through hole to be helically coupled with the male screw portion, and rotating in response to an external force to move the spring support member in the forward and backward directions; A check valve comprising:

6. 6. The check valve according to claim 5, wherein a spline groove and a spline protrusion inserted into the spline groove are formed between the support plate of the spring support member and the rear end of the hollow portion of the first valve body, and the spline groove and the spline protrusion prevent the spring support member from rotating relative to the first valve body and allow only back and forth movement in the axial direction.

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