Ball valve pinch prevention sheet, ball valve equipped with this sheet, and emergency water tap equipped with this ball valve.

Abstract

This prevents the operator's fingers from getting caught when operating the lever of a ball valve. [Solution] This ball valve pinch prevention seat 16 comprises a seat body 16a and a fitting hole 16b provided in the seat body 16a that can be fitted to a portion of the rotating shaft 13 that is further from the cylindrical body 12 than the connecting portion of the lever 14. When the rotating shaft 13 is fitted into the fitting hole 16b and the seat body 16a is fixed to the rotating shaft 13, the seat body 16a has a predetermined size and shape so that it can cover the portion 15a of the restricting portion 15 that comes into contact with the lever 14 when viewed from a direction along the rotating shaft 13.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ball valve sandwiching prevention sheet, a ball valve provided with this sheet, and an emergency water supply faucet provided with this ball valve.

Background Art

[0002] When water supply facilities are damaged and water supply is difficult during disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, in order to protect the lives of disaster victims, water trucks are dispatched to the disaster area to distribute drinking water and domestic water to the victims. Alternatively, a water supply path is constructed from a disaster storage water tank, and drinking water and domestic water are distributed to the victims.

[0003] Also, at this time, an emergency water supply faucet provided with faucets at the discharge ports of a plurality of branch pipes has been proposed so that water can be quickly distributed from a water supply source such as a water truck to a plurality of victims at once, and it has come to be used at actual sites (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in this type of water supply faucet, the faucet provided at each water supply port (discharge port) often uses a ball valve, which is a mechanical on-off valve with a simple structure whose method of operation can be easily understood even at first glance. However, when a ball valve is used for the water supply faucet of an emergency water supply faucet, the following problems may occur.

[0006] In other words, as shown in Figure 7, the ball valve 11 comprises a cylindrical body 12 having a flow path, a ball-shaped valve body (not shown) disposed on the flow path, a rotating shaft 13 that passes radially through the cylindrical body 12 and to which the valve body is fixed, a lever 14 fixed to the portion of the rotating shaft 13 that protrudes from the cylindrical body 12 (in Figure 7, the portion that protrudes toward the foreground of the paper), and a restricting portion 15 that contacts the lever 14 and restricts the rotation of the lever 14. The restricting portion 15 is provided on the outer circumference of the cylindrical body 12, and the contact portion 14b of the lever 14 opposite the gripping portion 14a with respect to the rotating shaft 13 is configured to contact the restricting portion 15 at a predetermined position as the lever 14 rotates.

[0007] In the ball valve 11 with the above configuration, normally, when the lever 14 is positioned axially (along the flow path) of the cylindrical body 12 (as shown in Figure 7), the ball-shaped valve body opens the flow path. By rotating the lever 14 90 degrees from this state (as shown in Figure 8), the valve body rotates together with the rotation axis 13, and the valve body closes the flow path. When the lever 14 is operated in the direction of opening the flow path, the restricting part 15 comes into contact with the lever 14, and at the contact position, the flow path is completely open.

[0008] Incidentally, since this type of ball valve is operated by unfamiliar victims and in emergency situations, it is expected that the handling of the lever, including how it is gripped, may be rough. In such cases, with a ball valve 11 configured as shown in Figure 8, the portion 15a of the restrictor 15 that contacts the lever 14 is close to the gripping portion 14a of the lever 14 and is open to the operator. Therefore, depending on the position of the operator's fingers, for example, when gripping the cylindrical body 12 with the left hand and the lever 14 with the right hand, and operating the lever 14 from the closed position to the open position, there is a concern that the index finger of the left hand gripping the cylindrical body 12 may get caught between the contact portion 14b of the lever 14 and the portion 15a of the restrictor 15, resulting in injury.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to solve the technical problem of preventing the operator's fingers from getting caught when operating the lever of a ball valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The above problem is solved by the ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to the present invention. Specifically, this sheet is for preventing pinching between the lever and the restricting part when operating the lever of a ball valve which comprises a cylindrical body having a flow path, a ball-shaped valve body located in the flow path, a rotating shaft to which the valve body is attached and which passes through the cylindrical body in its radial direction, a lever connected to the rotating shaft, and a restricting part that contacts the lever and restricts the rotation of the lever. The sheet comprises a sheet body and a fitting hole provided in the sheet body that can be fitted to a portion of the rotating shaft that is further from the cylindrical body than the lever connection portion. The sheet body has a predetermined size and shape such that, when viewed from a direction along the rotating shaft with the rotating shaft fitted into the fitting hole and the sheet body fixed to the rotating shaft, it can cover the portion of the restricting part that contacts the lever.

[0011] Thus, with the anti-pinch sheet according to the present invention, simply by fitting and fixing the sheet body to the rotating shaft of the ball valve through the fitting hole, it is possible to cover the portion of the restricting part that restricts the rotation of the lever that comes into contact with the lever, as seen from the operator's side. Therefore, regardless of how the operator grips and operates the lever, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the operator from getting their fingers or other part of their hand caught between the restricting part and the lever when operating the lever.

[0012] Furthermore, as an incidental effect of the present invention, the anti-pinch sheet according to the present invention is, as its name suggests, sheet-like and thin, so there is little risk of interference between the ball valve components, including the lever, and the sheet body. Therefore, even when the sheet body is attached to the rotating shaft, there is no risk of impairing the operability of the lever. Moreover, since the anti-pinch sheet according to the present invention can be used simply by fitting it onto the rotating shaft of an existing ball valve, it can be retrofitted to commercially available general-purpose ball valves, offering advantages in both versatility and cost.

[0013] Furthermore, in the ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to the present invention, the rotating shaft may have a male threaded portion, the fitting hole may have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the threads of the male threaded portion, and the peripheral edge of the fitting hole in the sheet body may be configured to be elastically expandable in conjunction with the fitting operation of the fitting hole to the male threaded portion.

[0014] With this configuration, when fitted onto the rotating shaft, the peripheral edge of the fitting hole can overcome the threads of the male thread portion of the rotating shaft. Therefore, the seat body can be fixed to the male thread portion of the rotating shaft with only the fitting operation, making it easier to attach the pinch prevention seat according to the present invention to the ball valve.

[0015] Furthermore, in the ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to the present invention, at least the fitting portion of the rotating shaft with the fitting hole may have a cross-sectional shape of different diameters, and the fitting hole may have a hole shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the fitting portion. The term "cross-sectional shape of different diameters" here refers to a cross-sectional shape in which the distance from the centroid of the cross-section to the peripheral edge is not uniform.

[0016] When the fitting portion of the rotating shaft has a different diameter cross-sectional shape, the fitting hole can be made to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the fitting portion, thereby preventing the seat body from rotating when fitted to the rotating shaft. This allows the circumferential mounting position (mounting phase) of the seat body relative to the rotating shaft to be set, and thus the size of the seat body can be limited to a range that can cover the portion of the regulating part that contacts the lever. As a result, the seat body can be made smaller, and interference between the seat body and the surrounding area, including the ball valve, can be prevented with a high probability.

[0017] Furthermore, in the ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to the present invention, the sheet body may have a fan shape centered on the fitting hole or its vicinity.

[0018] In addition, the ball valve pinching prevention sheet according to the above description can be simply attached to the rotation axis of an existing ball valve, preventing the situation of fingers being pinched during the lever operation of the ball valve and enabling the safe use of the ball valve. Therefore, for example, it can be preferably provided as a ball valve with a pinching prevention function including the pinching prevention sheet and a ball valve in which the sheet body of the pinching prevention sheet is fixed to the rotation axis.

[0019] Moreover, for the ball valve with a pinching prevention function having the above configuration, even for a novice or when the lever is handled roughly during an emergency, etc., the ball valve can be safely operated without injuring the user's hand. Therefore, for example, it can be preferably provided as an emergency water supply faucet including the ball valve with a pinching prevention function, a main pipe having a water supply port, a plurality of branch pipes branching from the main pipe, and discharge ports provided at one end of each branch pipe, and the ball valve with a pinching prevention function is attached to each branch pipe.

Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, according to the ball valve pinching prevention sheet according to the present invention, the ball valve provided with this sheet, and the emergency water supply faucet provided with this ball valve, it is possible to prevent the situation of fingers being pinched during the lever operation of the ball valve, so that the ball valve can be safely operated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a ball valve provided with a ball valve pinching prevention sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded perspective view of the ball valve shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a front view of the ball valve shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the lever is arranged in a direction along the axial direction of the cylindrical body. [Figure 4] It is a side view of the ball valve shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the lever is arranged in a direction along the axial direction of the cylindrical body. [Figure 5] Front view of the ball valve shown in FIG. 1, showing the state in which the lever is arranged in a direction along the radial direction of the cylindrical body. [Figure 6] (a) Rear view, (b) left side view, (c) plan view, (d) right side view, (e) bottom view, (f) front view, and (g) A-A cross-sectional view of the pinching prevention sheet shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] Front view of the ball valve according to the conventional configuration, showing the state in which the lever is arranged in a direction along the axial direction of the cylindrical body. [Figure 8] Front view of the ball valve according to the conventional configuration, showing the state in which the lever is arranged in a direction along the radial direction of the cylindrical body.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, the content of the ball valve pinching prevention sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention and the ball valve provided with this sheet will be described based on the drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ball valve 10 provided with the pinching prevention sheet according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ball valve 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the ball valve 10 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. As shown in these figures, the ball valve 10 according to this embodiment is a ball valve with a pinching prevention function, and includes a ball valve body 11 and a pinching prevention sheet 16.

[0024] Here, the ball valve body 11 is an existing ball valve, and includes a cylindrical body 12, a rotating shaft 13, a lever 14, and a regulating portion 15. Further, in this embodiment, the ball valve body 11 further includes a male screw portion 17 forming at least a part of the rotating shaft 13, a nut 18 attachable to the male screw portion 17, and washers 19 to 21.

[0025] The cylindrical body 12 has a flow path (not shown) on its inside. Here, the flow path extends in one predetermined direction, and the direction of the flow path coincides with the axial direction of the cylindrical body 12. A ball-shaped valve body (not shown) is disposed on the inside of the cylindrical body 12 and over the flow path. This valve body has a through hole, and by aligning this through hole with the direction of the flow path, the flow path becomes open. On the other hand, by aligning the direction of the through hole with the direction of the flow path (in this case, perpendicular), the flow path becomes closed (blocked) by the valve body.

[0026] The rotating shaft 13 extends along the radial direction of the cylindrical body 12 and is rotatably supported relative to the cylindrical body 12. The rotation of the rotating shaft 13 referred to here means rotation around a central axis along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 13.

[0027] The rotating shaft 13 passes radially through the cylindrical body 12, and the valve body is fixed to one longitudinal side of the rotating shaft 13 inside the cylindrical body 12. Therefore, the valve body can rotate around the central axis of the rotating shaft 13 in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating shaft 13, thereby changing the orientation of the through-hole of the valve body.

[0028] The lever 14 is for rotating the rotating shaft 13 and has a gripping portion 14a and a contact portion 14b for contacting the regulating portion 15. In this embodiment, the lever 14 further has a fitting hole 14c that can be fitted into the male threaded portion 17, which is the portion of the rotating shaft 13 that protrudes from the cylindrical body 12. The fitting hole 14c has a hole shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the rotating shaft 13 (male threaded portion 17). In this embodiment, the male threaded portion 17 has a so-called different diameter cross-sectional shape, and to be more precise, the cross-section of the male threaded portion 17 has a contour formed by a pair of parallel straight sections and a curved section connecting the ends of these straight sections. Therefore, the fitting hole 14c of the lever 14 has a hole shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape (different diameter cross-sectional shape) of this male threaded portion 17. The fitting hole 14c of the above shape is disposed between the gripping portion 14a and the contact portion 14b of the lever 14.

[0029] In the configuration described above, the lever 14 is fixed to the rotating shaft 13 in a non-rotatable manner by fitting the male threaded portion 17 of the rotating shaft 13 into the fitting hole 14c and then attaching and tightening the nut 18 to the male threaded portion 17. This allows the rotating shaft 13 to rotate around its central axis in conjunction with the rotational (swiveling) movement of the lever 14 around the rotating shaft 13.

[0030] The restricting portion 15 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12 and can restrict the rotation of the lever 14 at a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the restricting portion 15 is capable of contacting a contact portion 14b located on the opposite side of the gripping portion 14a, straddling the fitting hole 14c of the lever 14. The position of the restricting portion 15 is set such that the contact portion 14b and the restricting portion 15 come into contact when the longitudinal direction of the lever 14 coincides with the axial direction of the cylindrical body 12 (see Figure 3). In this case, the range of motion of the lever 14 is set to be between the direction in which the longitudinal direction of the lever 14 coincides with the axial direction of the cylindrical body 12 (see Figure 3) and the direction in which it coincides with the radial direction of the cylindrical body 12 (see Figure 5), i.e., 90 degrees.

[0031] The ball valve pinch prevention seat 16 has a seat body 16a and a fitting hole 16b provided in the seat body 16a that can be fitted with the rotating shaft 13 (see Figures 2 and 6). In this embodiment, when the lever 14 is fitted onto the male threaded portion 17 of the rotating shaft 13, the lever 14 is sandwiched between the cylindrical body 12 and the seat body 16a, and the fitting hole 16b is fitted to a portion of the male threaded portion 17 that is further from the cylindrical body 12 than the lever 14. In this state, by attaching (tightening) the nut 18 to the male threaded portion 17, both the lever 14 and the ball valve pinch prevention seat 16 are fixed to the rotating shaft 13 in a way that prevents rotation.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fitting hole 16b has a hole shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the rotating shaft 13 (male threaded portion 17). That is, as shown in Figure 2, when the male threaded portion 17 has a cross-sectional shape of different diameters, the fitting hole 16b has a hole shape of different diameters that corresponds to the above cross-sectional shape. In this case, the outermost diameter dimension b2 of the fitting hole 16b is smaller than the outermost diameter dimension b1 of the male threaded portion 17 (outer diameter dimension of the crest portion of the male threaded portion 17) and larger than the outer diameter dimension of the valley portion of the male threaded portion 17 (see Figures 3 and 6). In addition, the peripheral edge of the fitting hole 16b in the sheet body 16a is configured to be elastically expandable in diameter as the fitting hole 16b engages with the male threaded portion 17. Specifically, the material or thickness dimension of the sheet body 16a is set to a predetermined size so as to produce the above-mentioned expansion deformation. Of course, the above dimensional relationship is merely an example. The fitting hole 16b can be set to any shape and size, as long as the male threaded portion 17 is fitted into the fitting hole 16b and the seat body 16a can be fixed to the rotating shaft 13.

[0033] In this embodiment, the seat body 16a has a flat shape throughout its entire surface. Furthermore, the seat body 16a has a uniform thickness throughout its entire surface (see Figure 6 for details). By making the seat body 16a flat throughout its entire surface in this way, interference between the seat body 16a and the surrounding area, including the ball valve 10, can be prevented with a high probability. In addition, if the seat body 16a has a flat shape throughout its entire surface, the seat body 16a can be fitted onto the rotating shaft until it comes into contact with the lever 14, making it easy to position and fix the seat body 16a in a direction along the rotating shaft 13.

[0034] Furthermore, the seat body 16a is fixed to the rotation shaft 13 (male threaded portion 17) so as not to rotate around the central axis of the rotation shaft 13. The seat body 16a has a fan shape centered on or near the fitting hole 16b. The central angle of the fan shape of the seat body 16a is preferably 80 to 100 degrees, and more preferably 90 degrees. In this case, throughout the entire range of motion of the lever 14, the portion 15a of the restricting portion 15 that contacts the contact portion 14b of the lever 14 is always covered by the seat body 16a when viewed from a direction along the rotation shaft 13 (see Figures 3 and 5). Therefore, when a user of the ball valve 10 operates the ball valve 10 by gripping the lever 14, it is prevented that part of the user's hand may accidentally get caught between the restricting portion 15 and the lever 14.

[0035] The lever 14 of the ball valve 10 is typically configured to rotate within a 90-degree range. Therefore, even if the seat body 16a is made into a fan shape with a central angle of 80 to 100 degrees (preferably 90 degrees), and the range in which the seat body 16a can cover the portion 15a of the regulating part 15 that contacts the lever 14 is limited to 90 degrees, it is still possible to reliably cover the space between the regulating part 15 and the lever 14 throughout the entire range of motion of the lever 14. Furthermore, by keeping the size of the seat body 16a to the minimum necessary area, unnecessary interference with the surroundings can be avoided as much as possible, thus ensuring a high level of safety in the operation of the lever 14.

[0036] As described above, with the pinch prevention sheet 16 according to this embodiment, simply by fitting and fixing the sheet body 16a to the rotating shaft 13 of the ball valve body 11 through the fitting hole 16b, it is possible to cover the portion 15a of the restricting part 15 that contacts the lever 14, as seen from the operator's side. Therefore, no matter how the operator grips and operates the lever 14, it is possible to prevent as much as possible the operator from getting their fingers or other part of their hand caught between the portion 15a of the restricting part 15 that contacts the lever 14 and the lever 14 when operating the lever 14.

[0037] Furthermore, since the pinch prevention sheet 16 according to this embodiment is thin and sheet-like, there is little risk of interference between the components of the ball valve body 11, including the lever 14, and the sheet body 16a. Therefore, even when the sheet body 16a is attached to the rotating shaft 13, there is no risk of impairing the operability of the lever 14. In addition, the pinch prevention sheet 16 according to this embodiment can be used simply by fitting it onto the rotating shaft 13 of an existing ball valve (ball valve body 11), so it can be retrofitted to commercially available general-purpose ball valves, offering advantages in both versatility and cost.

[0038] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described example configuration, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0039] For example, in the above embodiment, the sheet body 16a is shown as having a 90-degree fan shape, but of course, it is not limited to this. The shape and size of the sheet body 16a can be arbitrarily set as long as it does not interfere with gripping and operating the lever 14. For example, although not shown in the figures, the sheet body 16a may have a fan shape with a central angle of 120 degrees, or it may have a semicircular shape with a central angle of 180 degrees. Alternatively, the sheet body 16a may be a perfect circle with a fitting hole 16b in its center, and a part of its outer edge cut out.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which the fitting hole 16b has a hole shape (different diameter hole shape) that conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the male thread portion 17, but of course, it is not limited to this. For example, although not shown in the figures, if the male thread portion 17 has a circular cross-section, the fitting hole 16b may also be circular, and the inner diameter dimension b1 of the fitting hole 16b may be made smaller than the outer diameter dimension b2 of the threads of the male thread portion 17, so that the fitting hole 16b fits into the male thread portion 17 by interlocking.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which a ball valve body 11 having a structure in which a lever 14 is fitted onto a male threaded portion 17 provided on one end of the rotating shaft 13 and the lever 14 is fastened and fixed with a nut 18 is used as the target for mounting the ball valve pinch prevention seat 16, but of course, it is not limited to this. The connection structure between the rotating shaft 13 and the lever 14 is arbitrary, as long as the rotating shaft 13 can rotate together with the lever 14 around its central axis by fixing the lever 14 to the rotating shaft 13 and rotating the lever 14 around the central axis of the rotating shaft 13. Of course, the rotating shaft 13 does not necessarily have to be provided with a male threaded portion 17.

[0042] Furthermore, the pinch-prevention ball valve 10 equipped with the pinch-prevention sheet 16 described above is applicable to any manually operated mechanical valve opening and closing structure. However, considering that even a first-time user or someone who handles the lever 14 roughly in an emergency should be able to operate the ball valve 10 safely without injuring their hands, for example, although the details are left to the detailed description in the specification of Utility Model Registration No. 3181093, it is particularly suitable to provide an emergency water tap comprising the above-mentioned pinch-prevention ball valve 10, a main pipe having a water inlet, a plurality of branch pipes branching from the main pipe, and a discharge port provided at one end of each branch pipe, with the pinch-prevention ball valve 10 attached to each branch pipe. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 10. Ball valve with anti-pinch function 11 Ball valve body 12. Cylindrical body 13 Rotation axis 14 Lever 14a Grip part 14b Contact part 14c mating hole 15 Regulatory Department 15a Contact area with the lever 16. Pinch prevention sheet 16a Sheet body 16b Mating hole 17 Male threaded section 18 nuts 19, 20, 21 Washers

Claims

1. A seat for preventing pinching between the lever and the restricting part when the lever is operated in a ball valve comprising: a cylindrical body having a flow path; a ball-shaped valve body located in the flow path; a rotating shaft to which the valve body is attached and which passes through the cylindrical body in its radial direction; a lever connected to the rotating shaft; and a restricting part that contacts the lever and restricts the rotation of the lever, The seat body and The seat body is provided with a fitting hole that can be fitted to a portion of the rotating shaft that is further from the cylindrical body than the connecting portion of the lever, A ball valve pinch prevention seat, wherein the seat body has a predetermined size and shape so that, when viewed from a direction along the rotating shaft, it can cover the portion of the restricting part that comes into contact with the lever, with the rotating shaft fitted into the fitting hole and the seat body fixed to the rotating shaft.

2. The aforementioned rotating shaft has a male screw portion, The ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to claim 1, wherein the fitting hole has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the threads of the male screw portion, and the peripheral edge of the fitting hole in the sheet body is configured to be elastically expandable in conjunction with the fitting operation of the fitting hole to the male screw portion.

3. At least the portion of the rotating shaft that engages with the fitting hole has a cross-sectional shape of different diameters, The ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to claim 1, wherein the fitting hole has a hole shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the fitting portion.

4. The ball valve pinch prevention sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet body has a fan shape centered on the fitting hole or its vicinity.

5. A ball valve with an anti-pinch function, comprising an anti-pinch sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a ball valve in which the sheet body of the anti-pinch sheet is fixed to the rotating shaft.

6. An emergency water tap comprising a ball valve with pinch prevention function as described in claim 5, a main pipe having a water inlet, a plurality of branch pipes branching from the main pipe, and a discharge port provided at one end of each branch pipe, wherein the ball valve with pinch prevention function is attached to each branch pipe.

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