Fluid control device

Abstract

The present invention provides a fluid control device that improves the positional accuracy of holes drilled in fluid pipes within the housing and the valve bodies inserted into these holes, thereby enhancing the controllability of fluid within the pipes, while also enabling miniaturization, weight reduction, and cost reduction of construction equipment such as drilling devices, flow control valve installation devices, and work valve devices. [Solution] A fluid control device comprising at least a split-structure housing 5 that seals a fluid pipe 1, and a flow control valve 10 equipped with a valve body 11 and a valve housing 12 that can be inserted into a hole 1b of the fluid pipe 1 drilled in the housing 5 in a continuous flow state, wherein the housing 5 has a neck portion 5d that has an open end 5c for installing the flow control valve 10 in the housing 5, and an opening 5b that opens in a direction different from the open end 5c and allows for the attachment and detachment of a work valve device 3 that can open and close the inside of the housing 5, and the work valve device 3 has a support portion 36 for supporting an insertion machine 60 for inserting the flow control valve 10 into the neck portion 5d.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid control device having a housing with a split structure that externally fits a fluid pipe in a sealed manner, and a flow control valve that inserts a valve body into a hole portion of the fluid pipe that is drilled in a non-stop flow state within the housing to control the fluid within the pipe.

Background Art

[0002] Conventional fluid control devices externally fit a housing with a split structure (split T-shaped pipe) to an existing fluid pipe in a sealed manner, connect a working valve device (working partition valve) and a drilling device (drilling machine) to the open end at the upper end of the head portion that constitutes the housing, drill the fluid pipe inside the housing with this drilling device, and then, for the working valve device that closes the inside of the housing, instead of the drilling device after drilling, use an installation device for a flow control valve (working case, operating rod, jack mechanism) to insert a flow control valve (valve case, partition valve body) and connect it to the housing, insert the valve body (partition valve body) of this flow control valve into the pipe through the hole portion of the fluid pipe, and use the inner peripheral surface of the fluid pipe as a valve seat to control the fluid within the pipe (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, a work valve device is connected to an open end formed at the upper end of the neck of a split T-shaped pipe that constitutes a housing fitted over a fluid pipe, and a drilling device, or in its place, a flow control valve installation device, is connected superimposed on the upper end of the work valve device, and this flow control valve is sealed to the open end at the upper end of the neck of the housing. As a result, the extension stroke of the cutter of the drilling device and the flow control valve installation device becomes long, causing misalignment that prevents drilling or valve insertion at the designed position, resulting in the problem of not being able to maintain high controllability of the fluid inside the pipe. In particular, when the extension stroke of the drilling device becomes long, even a slight misalignment of surface contact at the mounting part of the drilling device can cause a large misalignment of the drilling position, and there is a risk that the valve will be damaged when the valve is inserted. Furthermore, as the extension stroke lengthened, construction equipment such as drilling devices, flow control valve installation devices, and work valve devices became larger, resulting in higher equipment and construction costs. Moreover, the weight of these devices placed an excessive load on the existing fluid pipes.

[0005] This invention was made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a fluid control device that improves the positional accuracy of holes drilled in fluid pipes within a housing and valve bodies inserted into these holes, thereby enhancing the controllability of fluid within the pipes, and also enables miniaturization, weight reduction, and cost reduction of construction equipment such as drilling devices, flow control valve installation devices, and work valve devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the fluid control device of the present invention is A fluid control device comprising at least a split-structure housing that seals a fluid tube, and a flow control valve having a valve body and valve housing that can be inserted into a hole in the fluid tube drilled in the housing in a continuous flow state, The housing has a neck portion that includes an open end for installing the flow control valve in the housing and an opening for attaching and detaching a work valve device that can open and close the inside of the housing. The present invention is characterized in that a first sealing member, formed in an annular shape, is provided between the circumferential surface of the valve housing of the flow control valve and the circumferential surface of the neck portion on the fluid pipe side of the opening. This feature allows the valve housing to have an opening at the neck for attaching and detaching the work valve device, bringing the valve device closer to the fluid pipe. This shortens the drilling stroke, minimizes drilling misalignment, and simultaneously enables miniaturization, weight reduction, and cost reduction of construction equipment such as the work valve device and drilling machine. Furthermore, the annular first sealing member provided between the valve housing of the flow control valve and the circumferential surface on the fluid pipe side of the neck opening allows the valve housing to be sealed beyond the neck opening. In this sealed state, both the opening and the open end can be simultaneously blocked. Therefore, the pivot point when inserting the valve body of this flow control valve into the hole in the fluid pipe becomes more reliable, reducing the stroke length, improving the positional accuracy of the valve body, and enhancing the controllability of the fluid inside the pipe.

[0007] The present invention is characterized in that a second sealing member, formed in an annular shape, is provided between the circumferential surface of the valve housing of the flow control valve and the circumferential surface of the neck portion on the open end side of the opening. According to this feature, even if the first sealing member temporarily separates from the inner surface of the neck when it passes over the opening, the second sealing member can seal the inner surface of the neck at this time, thus maintaining a sealed state until the valve housing is fully inserted.

[0008] The circumferential surface of the neck portion is characterized in that it is formed in a straight line in the direction of insertion of the valve housing. This feature not only makes it easier to insert the valve housing along the inner surface of the straight-shaped neck, but also stabilizes the sealing state of the sealing member that is in contact with this circumferential surface.

[0009] The valve housing of the flow control valve is characterized by having an openable and closable air vent hole at the upper end of the valve housing. This feature allows almost all of the air inside the valve housing to be discharged through the air vent hole formed at the upper end of the valve housing. This not only prevents the air inside the valve housing from being compressed, which could lead to unforeseen accidents, but also suppresses corrosion of the valve housing.

[0010] The opening in the neck portion is characterized by opening in the direction of the fluid pipe's path. This feature allows the work valve device, which is attached to the opening, to be extended in the direction of the fluid pipe, making it easier to secure the mounting area for the work valve device.

[0011] The housing is characterized by having an engaging portion that restricts the movement of the flow control valve installed in the housing in the circumferential direction. This feature allows the engagement portion to restrict the circumferential movement of the flow control valve relative to the housing, thus avoiding the risk of the flow control valve moving due to the flow of fluid inside the pipe.

[0012] The housing is characterized by having a positioning section for positioning the work valve device which is attached to the opening. This feature allows the work valve device to be precisely attached to the opening by the positioning unit, thereby maintaining the opening and closing function of the housing provided by the work valve device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the housing that constitutes the fluid control device in the embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the housing with the fluid tube fitted to the outside, and (b) is a side cross-sectional view of the same housing. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the enclosure, similar to Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the work valve device assembled into the housing. [Figure 5] (a) is a plan cross-sectional view showing the housing member of the work valve device, and (b) is a plan cross-sectional view showing the mounting member of the work valve device. [Figure 6] This is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a drilling machine assembled in a housing. [Figure 7] This is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a fluid pipe being drilled using a drilling machine. [Figure 8] This is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing the chips being discharged by the discharge machine. [Figure 9] It is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a hydraulic rod which is an insertion means in an embodiment assembled to an operation valve device. [Figure 10] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view similar to FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a flow control valve assembled to a hydraulic rod. [Figure 12] (a) is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member in an embodiment, (b) is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member in Modification 1, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member in Modification 2. [Figure 13] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view similar to FIG. 11. [Figure 14] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a situation where a flow control valve is being inserted by a hydraulic rod. [Figure 15] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a situation where the installation of a flow control valve by a hydraulic rod is completed. [Figure 16] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a flow control valve fixed to a housing. [Figure 17] It is a partial cross-sectional front view similar to FIG. 16. [Figure 18] It is a partial cross-sectional side view similar to FIG. 16. [Figure 19] It is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a screw-type insertion machine which is an insertion means in a modification.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] A mode for carrying out the fluid control device according to the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment.

Embodiment

[0015] A fluid control device and its installation method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 19. As shown in Figures 16 to 18, the fluid control device according to the present invention mainly consists of a housing 5 that fits over a fluid pipe 1, and a flow control valve 10 installed in the housing 5 to control the fluid inside the pipe. In this embodiment, the fluid control device and its installation method will be described in detail, from drilling a hole in the housing 5 at a predetermined location in the existing fluid pipe 1, which is a pipeline component, while the fluid is flowing continuously, to installing the flow control valve 10 inside the housing 5. In this embodiment, the fluid inside the fluid pipe 1 is tap water, but it may also be industrial water, agricultural water, sewage, or other liquids, or even gas or a gas-liquid mixture.

[0016] The fluid pipe 1 in this embodiment is a relatively small-diameter ductile cast iron pipe, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is formed as a straight pipe with a substantially circular cross-section. In this embodiment, the fluid pipe 1 is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction. The fluid pipe according to the present invention may also be made of other metals such as cast iron or steel, or concrete, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene or polyolefin, etc. Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface of the fluid pipe may be covered with an epoxy resin layer, mortar, plating, etc., or the inner circumferential surface of the fluid pipe may be covered with an appropriate material by powder coating.

[0017] Here, the fluid pipe of the present invention is not limited to a straight pipe as in this embodiment, but may be composed of, for example, a shaped pipe. Here, a shaped pipe is a general term for a pipe that has at least a part of various shaped sections such as a curved section, a branch section, a cross section, a section of different diameters, a connecting ring section, a short pipe section, or a drain section.

[0018] First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer surface of the fluid pipe 1, which will be the mounting location for the fluid control device according to the present invention, is cleaned. Then, the housing 5 constituting the fluid control device is fitted onto the fluid pipe 1 in a sealed manner via a sealing member 4, which will be described later, to seal the perforated portion of the fluid pipe 1. The housing 5 has a multi-part structure, and in this embodiment, it is mainly composed of a first divided body 51 that constitutes the upper side and a second divided body 52 that constitutes the lower side. The divided structure of the housing 5 is not limited to this embodiment; for example, it may be divided horizontally, and the number of divisions may be three or more predetermined numbers. In this embodiment, the divided housings are joined together in a sealed state by fastening members 2 consisting of bolts and nuts, but this is not limited to this; for example, welding may also be used.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the first divided body 51 of the housing 5 is composed of a pipeline housing portion 5a that extends in the pipeline direction along the fluid pipe 1, and a cylindrical neck portion 5d that branches vertically and extends approximately in the center of the pipeline housing portion 5a, having an open end portion 5c that opens upward and an opening 5b that opens to the side, and is formed in an inverted T shape when viewed from the front.

[0020] Furthermore, the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d has a pair of flange-shaped flange portions 5e, 5e that protrude outward in the direction of the fluid pipe 1, and notches 5f, 5f that serve as engaging portions that are recessed inward in the central position of the circumferential direction of the flange portion 5e.

[0021] The neck portion 5d has a tubular circumferential portion 5g on which the outer surface protrudes radially, and this tubular circumferential portion 5g has an opening 5b that opens toward one side in the direction of the fluid pipe 1. As shown in Figure 1, the opening 5b is a horizontally elongated, roughly rectangular opening in side view, and is formed so that the working valve body 31 of the working valve device 3 can be inserted through it, as will be described later.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2(a), the inner circumference of the neck portion 5d comprises an inner circumferential surface 5h which is a curved surface that is approximately circular in plan view and is formed in a straight line in the vertical direction, a recessed portion 5i which is recessed in the outer diameter direction at the same height as the opening 5b, an inner circumferential surface 5j which is formed below the recessed portion 5i and is formed to be approximately flush in the vertical direction with the upper inner circumferential surface 5h, and a stepped portion 5k which is connected to the lower end of the inner circumferential surface 5j and protrudes in the inner diameter direction.

[0023] Next, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the work valve device 3 is sealed and connected to the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d. The work valve device 3 mainly consists of a work valve body 31 that slides open and closed within the housing 5, a housing member 32 that houses the work valve body 31 so that it can slide horizontally, and an open portion 32b with one end on its side open, and a mounting member 33 having a curved inner surface that can be fitted onto the neck portion 5d together with the housing member 32.

[0024] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the housing member 32 is equipped with a shaft member 34 that is rotatable and pivotally supported so as not to move forward or backward, and extends horizontally. The working valve body 31 is screwed onto this shaft member 34, and the working valve body 31 is configured to slide relative to the housing member 32 by rotating an operating member 35 attached to the tip 34a of the shaft member 34 that protrudes outward from the housing member 32. Support portions 36, 36 for supporting the hydraulic rod 60, which will be described later, are provided on the upper surface of the housing member 32 and the upper surface of the mounting member 33.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the upper surface of the working valve body 31 is covered with a plate-shaped sealing member 31a, and this sealing member 31a is configured to seal the inside of the housing 5.

[0026] In detail regarding the installation procedure of the work valve device 3, first, the housing member 32 is placed on the outer surface of the neck portion 5d at a position where its open portion 32b communicates with the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d. At this time, as shown in Figures 4 and 5(a), the pipe thickness portion 5g of the neck portion 5d has a pair of protruding portions 5m that protrude laterally from the opening 5b, serving as positioning portions. The inner circumference of the engaging portion 32c, which is roughly L-shaped in plan view and roughly U-shaped in side view and formed on the side of the open portion 32b of the housing member 32, engages with these protruding portions 5m, thereby positioning the housing member 32 in a position where its open portion 32b communicates with the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d. In this way, the work valve device 3 can be accurately attached to the opening 5b by the protruding portions 5m, and the opening and closing function of the housing 5 by the work valve device 3 can be maintained.

[0027] Next, the mounting member 33 is positioned on the outer surface of the neck portion 5d at a position opposite to the housing member 32, with the neck portion 5d in between. At this time, as shown in Figures 4 and 5(b), the inner circumference of the substantially U-shaped engaging portion 33a formed on the mounting member 33 engages with the pipe thickness portion 5g of the neck portion 5d, thereby positioning the mounting member 33 at a position opposite to the housing member 32, with the neck portion 5d in between. In this embodiment, the engaging portion 33a is configured in a substantially U-shape in the circumferential direction intermittently, but it is not limited to this, and may be configured in a substantially U-shape in the circumferential direction continuously. The corner shapes of the three sides constituting the substantially U-shape of the engaging portion 32c, or the corner shapes of the three sides constituting the substantially U-shape of the engaging portion 33a, may be rectangular as in this embodiment, or they may be rounded.

[0028] In this way, the work valve device 3 attached to the opening 5b can be extended in the direction of the fluid pipe 1, so the area above the fluid pipe 1 can be used as the mounting area for the work valve device 3, and this area can be easily secured.

[0029] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the housing member 32 and the mounting member 33 are fastened together. In this embodiment, the base ends 37a of bolts 37 are hinged to both ends of the mounting member 33. The bolts 37 are rotated toward the housing member 32 and inserted into the gap 32d formed on the outer circumference of the engaging portion 33a of the housing member 32. The bolts 37 are then fastened by screwing nuts 38 onto the ends of the bolts 37. In other words, in this embodiment, the bolts 37 and nuts 38 constitute the fastening member. In this way, since the bolts 37 that constitute the fastening member are connected to the mounting member 33, the fastening work can be easily performed, and as the bolts 37 are inserted into the gap 32d, the mounting member 33 can be positioned relative to the housing member 32.

[0030] Furthermore, a sealing member 39 is provided on the housing member 32 so as to surround the periphery of the opening 32b, and when the fastening member described above is fastened, this sealing member 39 comes into close contact with the periphery of the opening 5b, thereby sealing the opening 5b and the opening 32b. In this way, by installing the work valve device 3 on the opening 5b provided on the neck portion 5d, the mounting positions of the drilling machine 7 and hydraulic rod 60, which will be described later, can be brought as close as possible to the fluid pipe 1. As a result, the extension stroke for the drilling machine 7 and hydraulic rod 60 to approach the fluid pipe 1 can be shortened, and the drilling machine 7 and hydraulic rod 60 can be made smaller, lighter, and cost-effective (see Figures 6 and 11).

[0031] The fastening members are not limited to this embodiment; for example, communication holes may be formed in each of the housing member 32 and the mounting member 33 that communicate with each other, and bolts may be inserted through these communication holes and fastened with nuts.

[0032] Next, as shown in Figure 6, the drilling machine 7 is sealed and connected to the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d. The drilling machine 7 mainly consists of a mounting flange cylinder 71, a cutter 72 for drilling the fluid pipe 1, a drive motor 74 for rotating the cutter 72 inside the mounting flange cylinder 71, and a retraction mechanism 73 for moving the cutter 72 up and down. The cutter 72 is formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder with a smaller diameter than the fluid pipe 1 and consists of a hole saw 72a with a cutting blade along the circumferential direction at its tip, and a center drill 72b which is arranged coaxially with the rotation axis of the hole saw 72a and protrudes further than the cutting blade. The cutter 72 is arranged concentrically with the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d of the housing 5, is inserted into the neck portion 5d of the housing 5 from the open end 5c side, and can advance to a position where it penetrates at least the pipe wall at the top of the fluid pipe 1.

[0033] The procedure for installing the drilling machine 7 is as follows: The concave portion 75 formed at the tip of the mounting flange cylinder 71 is fitted onto the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d. More specifically, the concave portion 75 of the mounting flange cylinder 71 comprises an inner wall portion 75a that fits inside the side wall of the open end 5c, an outer wall portion 75b that fits outside the side wall of the open end 5c, and an inner bottom portion 75c that constitutes the base end of these inner wall portion 75a and outer wall portion 75b. The inner wall portion 75a and outer wall portion 75b clamp the side wall of the open end 5c, and the inner bottom portion 75c is brought into contact with the end face of the open end 5c, thereby fitting the mounting flange cylinder 71 of the drilling machine 7 onto the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d in a positioned state.

[0034] Furthermore, a sealing member 76 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall portion 75a, and this sealing member 76 is in close contact with the side wall of the open end portion 5c, thereby sealing the mounting flange cylinder 71 of the drilling machine 7 and the neck portion 5d of the housing 5 in this fitted state.

[0035] Furthermore, in this fitted state, an engaging member 77, which has a segmented structure and an inner circumference portion that is roughly U-shaped in cross-section and engages with the outer wall portion 75b, is assembled along the outer circumference of the outer wall portion 75b.

[0036] Furthermore, the connection of the work valve device 3 to the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d and the connection of the drilling machine 7 to the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d are not necessarily limited to the order described above. The connection of the drilling machine 7 may be performed first, followed by the connection of the work valve device 3, or these connection operations may be performed simultaneously.

[0037] Next, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the process of drilling the fluid pipe 1 using the drilling machine 7 will be explained. First, with the working valve body 31 of the working valve device 3 positioned inside the housing 32a of the housing member 32 and the inside of the housing 5 open, the cutter 72 is rotated by the drive motor 74 of the drilling machine 7, and the cutter 72 is advanced downward by rotating the handle 73a that constitutes the advancement mechanism 73, thereby drilling the pipe wall at the top of the fluid pipe 1 in a continuous flow state.

[0038] At this time, for example, a ball valve (not shown) is installed in a female screw hole 5p formed below the opening 5b of the housing 5, which is an opening communicating with the inside of the housing 5, to discharge the chips generated during drilling to the outside along with the fluid. The chip discharge port is not limited to the above, and the chips generated during drilling may also be discharged to the outside along with the fluid by opening the on / off valve 32f connected to the upper end of the opening 32e formed on the upper surface of the housing member 32 of the work valve device 3. The ball valve described above is removed in a non-stop flow state after drilling, and replaced with an on / off bolt 5n as shown in Figure 18 to seal the opening.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, when the fluid pipe 1 is cut by the cutter 72, the severed top section 1a of the fluid pipe 1 is held inside the hole saw 72a. The cutter 72 is then pulled up into the mounting flange cylinder 71 along with the section 1a, and the inside of the housing 5 is closed by the working valve body 31 of the working valve device 3, thereby completing the drilling operation of the fluid pipe 1. At this time, the mounting position of the drilling machine 7 is close to the fluid pipe 1, and the drilling operation is performed by receiving and fitting the inner wall portion 75a of the mounting flange cylinder 71 with the inner circumferential surface 5h of the neck portion 5d. As a result, the drilling machine 7 is positioned as concentric as possible with respect to the housing 5, and even if there is a misalignment in the parallelism between the mounting flange of the drilling machine 7 body and the connection surface of the mounting flange cylinder 71, the impact on the drilled portion is minimized and drilling misalignment is suppressed.

[0040] Next, with the inside of the housing 5 sealed by the work valve body 31 of the work valve device 3, the drilling machine 7 is removed, and in place of the drilling machine 7, a discharge machine 8 for discharging chips generated during drilling is connected to the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d.

[0041] As shown in Figure 8, the discharger 8 mainly consists of a mounting flange cylinder 81 fixedly attached to the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d, a short cylinder 82 connected to the upper end of the mounting flange cylinder 81, a flexible cylinder 83 made of an elastic material connected to the short cylinder 82, an operating cylinder 84 connected to the upper end of the flexible cylinder 83, and a discharge pipe 85 that is sealed and inserted through these cylinders 81, 82, 83 and 84. The rear end of the discharge pipe 85 protrudes outward from the operating cylinder 84, and an on / off valve (not shown) that opens and closes the inside of the discharge pipe 85 is connected to it.

[0042] The connection method between the mounting flange cylinder 81 of the discharge machine 8 and the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d is the same as the connection method between the mounting flange cylinder 71 of the drilling machine 7 and the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d described above, so the explanation is omitted.

[0043] Next, the chip discharge process by the discharger 8 will be explained. By opening the on-off valve (not shown) connected to the rear end of the discharge pipe 85, the chips in the fluid pipe 1 and housing 5 can be discharged together with the fluid. At this time, by gripping the operating cylinder 84 that coaxially fits the discharge pipe 85 and utilizing the elastic deformation of the flexible cylinder 83 to freely tilt it relative to the mounting flange cylinder 81, the suction port 85a at the tip of the discharge pipe 85 can be moved to a desired position inside the housing 5. Therefore, even if chips are scattered in every corner of the fluid pipe 1 and housing 5, almost all of them can be discharged.

[0044] Next, with the inside of the housing 5 closed by the work valve body 31 of the work valve device 3, the discharger 8 is removed, and in place of the discharger 8, a flow control valve 10 for controlling the fluid inside the pipe is connected to the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d.

[0045] Prior to installing the flow control valve 10, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a pair of hydraulic rods 60 are first erected vertically on the support parts 36, 36 of the work valve device 3 as insertion means for inserting the flow control valve 10 into the housing 5. The hydraulic rod 60 mainly consists of a support plate 61 connected to the support part 36 of the work valve device 3, a hollow cylinder 62 fixedly supported on the support plate 61, and a piston 63 with one end fitted inside the cylinder 62. The hydraulic rod 60 can extend and retract by supplying hydraulic fluid such as oil to the inside of the cylinder 62 via a hydraulic fluid hose (not shown) connected to supply ports 62a, 62a (not shown) using a supply pump or the like, thereby pressing the piston 63 up and down with the resulting hydraulic pressure. The pair of hydraulic rods 60 are configured such that their respective pistons 63, 63 extend and retract synchronously, and their upper ends are always positioned in the same location.

[0046] As shown in Figure 11, the flow control valve 10 mainly consists of a stopper body 11 (valve body) that passes through the perforated hole 1b of the fluid pipe 1 and moves up and down within the pipe so as to open and close, and a valve housing 12 that houses the stopper body 11 so as to be movable in the vertical direction and has a circumferential side portion 13 with an open lower end. The valve housing 12 is equipped with a shaft member 14 that extends vertically in a rotatable and pivotally supported state so as not to move forward or backward, and the stopper body 11 is screwed onto this shaft member 14, and the stopper body 11 is configured to move up and down relative to the valve housing 12 by rotating the operating portion 14a at the upper end of the shaft member 14 that protrudes outward from the valve housing 12.

[0047] More specifically, the plug body 11 mainly consists of a female threaded piece 11a having a female thread screwed onto the shaft member 14, a core portion 11b that engages with and follows the female threaded piece 11a, and a plug portion 11c made of an elastic material covering the entire outer surface of the core portion 11b. The plug body 11 moves into the fluid pipe 1 below through the hole 1b as the shaft member 14 rotates, and the plug portion 11c comes into close contact with the hole 1b and the inner circumferential surface 1c of the fluid pipe 1 over its entire circumference, thereby completely blocking the flow path inside the pipe, or partially blocking the flow path inside the pipe according to the amount of movement of the plug portion 11c, thereby enabling control of the flow rate. Note that the plug portion 11c is not limited to covering the core portion 11b, and may be detachable, or may be provided only in the portion necessary to block the flow path inside the pipe.

[0048] Furthermore, the valve housing 12 of the flow control valve 10 has an air vent hole 13a formed on its upper end side, which penetrates laterally through the circumferential portion 13 and has a female threaded portion into which an open / close plug 15, which is normally in a closed state, is screwed. On the outer circumferential surface of the lower end side of the circumferential portion 13, two recesses 13b, 13b are formed around the entire circumference, spaced apart vertically, and sealing members 21, 22 are provided in each of the recesses 13b. Hereinafter, the lower end side (tip side) of the valve housing 12 will be referred to as the first sealing member 21, and the side above this first sealing member 21 (base end side) will be referred to as the second sealing member 22.

[0049] As shown in Figure 12(a), the first sealing member 21 and the second sealing member 22 of this embodiment are made of an elastic material integrally formed in an annular shape and have the same shape. The first sealing member 21 is composed of a base-end holding portion 21a held between a bulging portion 13c formed on the bottom surface of the recess 13b and the inner wall of the recess 13b, and a deformable portion 21b connected to the holding portion 21a that allows elastic deformation. In their natural state before elastic deformation, the outermost diameter of the deformable portion 21b of these sealing members 21 and 22 is formed to be larger in diameter than the inner diameter of the neck portion 5d. The deformable portion 21b of this embodiment has a bulging portion 21c that bulges in the radial direction inward and outward, a protruding portion 21d that protrudes toward the tip, and a concave portion 21e formed in a concave shape across the bulging portion 21c and the protruding portion 21d. The second sealing member 22 has the same shape as the first sealing member 21 described above, so its description is omitted.

[0050] Furthermore, the vertical separation distance between the first sealing member 21 and the second sealing member 22 is set to be greater than the vertical opening width of the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d.

[0051] Next, the installation process for the flow control valve 10 will be described. As shown in Figures 11 and 13, the pistons 63, 63 of the hydraulic rod 60 are extended, and a pressing member 64 for pressing the flow control valve 10 is mounted on their upper ends and fastened with nuts 65. Furthermore, the upper peripheral edge of the valve housing 12 of the flow control valve 10 is fitted into the fitting portion 64a formed through the approximate center of the pressing member 64, and the pistons 63, 63 are operated downward by hydraulic pressure, thereby applying a downward pressing force to the flow control valve 10 via the pressing surface 64b, which is the bottom surface of the pressing member 64, and gradually moving the flow control valve 10 downward within the neck portion 5d.

[0052] As shown in Figure 14, the flow control valve 10 inserted into the neck portion 5d by the hydraulic rod 60 is sealed by the fact that at least the sealing member 21 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 5h above the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d. In this sealed state, the working valve body 31 of the working valve device 3 is opened. At this time, the on / off valve 32f of the working valve device 3 and the ball valve attached to the female screw hole 5p of the housing 5 may be connected by a hose to equalize the pressure and open the working valve body 31, thereby reducing resistance to the working valve body 31. At this time, with the first sealing member 21 located on the lower side in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 5j below the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d as the boundary, the lower part of the neck portion 5d is filled with liquid at internal pipe pressure (internal pipe fluid), and the upper part contains air at atmospheric pressure which is lower than the internal pipe pressure, thus creating a predetermined pressure difference. In other words, the inner circumferential surface 5j below the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d functions as a valve seat that seals the flow control valve 10. In this case, when the plug body 11 moves downward with the hydraulic rod 60, it is necessary to stop it at a position where it does not come into contact with the working valve body 31 and is sealed by the sealing member 21. For example, a spacer may be interposed between the pressing member 64 and the working valve device 3 to control the movement.

[0053] In this embodiment, since the neck portion 5d of the fluid tube 1 and the housing 5 fitted over it are formed with a small diameter, the upward force acting on the flow control valve 10 is relatively small, and the hydraulic rod 60 can push the flow control valve 10 further downward against this upward force.

[0054] As the flow control valve 10 moves downward, the first sealing member 21, which was sealing the inner circumferential surface 5h of the neck portion 5d, passes through the opening 5b and separates from the inner circumferential surface 5h of the neck portion 5d, temporarily losing its ability to maintain a sealed state. However, at this time, the upper second sealing member 22 seals the inner circumferential surface 5h of the neck portion 5d. In other words, these first sealing member 21 and second sealing member 22, which are separated vertically, maintain a sealed state until the flow control valve 10 is installed, thereby preventing fluid leakage.

[0055] Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface 5h above the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d and the inner circumferential surface 5j below the opening 5b are formed in a straight line in the vertical direction, which is the insertion direction of the valve housing 12. This not only makes it easier to insert the valve housing 12, but also stabilizes the sealing state of the sealing members 21 and 22 that are in contact with these inner circumferential surfaces 5h and 5j.

[0056] According to the above-described cross-sectional shape of the sealing members 21 and 22 in this embodiment, the pressure of the fluid inside the pipe acts on the surface of the concave portion 21e, which is formed in a concave shape across the bulging portion 21c and protruding portion 21d that bulge in the radial direction inward and outward. This provides a lip seal effect that brings the bulging portion 21c into close contact with the inner circumferential surfaces 5h and 5j of the neck portion 5d and the recess 13b of the circumferential portion 13, thereby improving sealing performance and reducing the insertion resistance of the flow control valve 10.

[0057] As shown in Figure 15, the flow control valve 10 is pressed to an installation position where the first sealing member 21 extends below the opening 5b and is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 5j of the neck portion 5d, and the second sealing member 22 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 5h above the opening 5b. At this installation position, the hook portions 13e, 13e extending further downward from the protruding portion 13d that extends outward on the outer diameter side of the circumferential side portion 13 of the valve housing 12 are fitted into the notch portion 5f which serves as an engaging portion formed on the open end 5c of the neck portion 5d of the housing 5. This restricts the circumferential movement of the flow control valve 10 relative to the housing 5, thus preventing the flow control valve 10 from moving due to the flow of fluid in the pipe.

[0058] Next, the flange portion 5e of the open end 5c of the housing 5 and the protruding portion 13d of the flow control valve 10 superimposed thereon are fitted together by a fitting member 19 with a divided structure that is roughly U-shaped in cross-section, thereby restricting the flow control valve 10 from coming out upward relative to the housing 5.

[0059] Furthermore, by screwing out the on / off plug 15 at the installation position of the flow control valve 10 to open the air vent hole 13a, the air remaining inside the valve housing 12 of the sealed flow control valve 10 is released to the outside. More specifically, the on / off plug 15 consists of a male screw member 15a with a connecting passage 15c formed on its circumferential surface from its tip to its base end, and an O-ring 15b provided on the washer portion of this male screw member 15a to seal the outer surface of the valve housing 12. When this on / off plug 15 is screwed out slightly, the air inside the valve housing 12 is released to the outside through the connecting passage 15c and further through the gap between the O-ring 15b and the outer surface of the valve housing 12. Here, since the air vent hole 13a is formed near the upper end of the valve housing 12, almost all of the air inside the valve housing 12 can be released to the outside without leaving any behind. This not only avoids the risk of the air inside the valve housing 12 being compressed and causing an unforeseen accident, but also suppresses corrosion of the valve housing 12. Air may be released at any time, for example, while the flow control valve 10 is being inserted, or it may be released when the sealing member 21 seals the open end 5c of the housing 5, and the on / off valve 32f and the ball valve attached to the female screw hole 5p of the housing 5 are connected by a hose and filled with water.

[0060] As described above, after installing the flow control valve 10, the pressing member 64 and hydraulic rod 60 that were assembled to the flow control valve 10 are removed, as shown in Figures 16 to 18, and then the work valve device 3 that was attached to the opening 5b of the housing 5 is removed in sequence. At this time, since the first sealing member 21 seals the inner circumferential surface 5j of the neck portion 5d below the opening 5b, leakage of internal fluid is prevented even when the opening 5b is opened. Therefore, the work valve device 3 can be removed without sealing with the plug 11, and there is no risk of deterioration of the work valve device 3. As shown in Figures 16 and 17, the closing cover 9 is attached in a sealing manner to the opening 5b after the work valve device 3 has been removed.

[0061] As described above, the fluid control device according to the present invention has an opening 5b in the neck portion 5d of the housing 5 for attaching and detaching the work valve device 3. This allows the mounting position of the work valve device 3 to be brought closer to the fluid pipe 1, thus shortening the drilling stroke and minimizing drilling misalignment. At the same time, it is possible to achieve miniaturization, weight reduction, and cost reduction of construction equipment such as the work valve device 3 and drilling machine 7. Furthermore, the annular first sealing member 21 provided between the valve housing 12 of the flow control valve 10 and the circumferential surface on the fluid pipe 1 side of the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d allows the tip of the valve housing 12 to be sealed beyond the opening 5b of the neck portion 5d. In this sealed state, the opening 5b and the open end 5c can be simultaneously blocked. Therefore, the pivot point when the plug body 11 of the flow control valve 10 is inserted into the hole 1b of the fluid pipe 1 is made more reliable, reducing the stroke length, improving the positional accuracy of the plug body 11, and enhancing the controllability of the fluid inside the pipe.

[0062] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any changes or additions that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are also included.

[0063] For example, in the above embodiment, a hydraulic rod 60 was configured as an insertion means for inserting the flow control valve 10 into the housing 5, but this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Figure 19, a pair of screw-type insertion machines 69 may be configured. The screw-type insertion machine 69 mainly consists of a support plate 91 connected to the support portion 36 of the work valve device 3, a male screw rod 92 fixedly supported on the support plate 91, and a female screw member 93 that clamps and screws onto the pressing member 94 inserted through the male screw rod 92. The screw-type insertion machine 69 applies a downward pressing force to the flow control valve 10 via the pressing surface 94b, which is the bottom surface of the pressing member 94, by screwing these female screw members 93 downward, and gradually moves the flow control valve 10 downward within the neck portion 5d.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the deformable portion 21b that allows elastic deformation of the first sealing member 21 and the second sealing member 22 has a bulging portion 21c that bulges in the radial direction inward and outward, a protruding portion 21d that protrudes toward the tip, and a concave portion 21e formed in a concave shape across these, but it is not limited to this, and for example, as a modified example 1 of the sealing member according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 12(b), the deformable portion 23b of the sealing member 23 may be formed in a substantially bulbous cross-sectional shape that bulges smoothly in the radial direction inward and outward and toward the tip, and in this way the deformable portion 23b receives the fluid pressure evenly over substantially the entire outer surface and elastically deforms into a gently curved surface with a large radius of curvature, so that a wide sealing surface with the inner circumferential surface of the neck can be obtained.

[0065] Alternatively, as a second modification of the sealing member according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 12(c), the deformable portion 24b of the sealing member 24 may be formed in a substantially circular shape in cross-section with a notch 24e on its outer circumference. This allows for a larger elastic deformation allowance in the outer diameter direction, thereby improving the sealing function between the deformable portion 24b after elastic deformation and the inner surface of the neck portion. In addition, the first sealing member 21 and the second sealing member 22 may have different cross-sectional shapes.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, an air vent hole 13a for air venting is formed by passing through the peripheral side portion 13 of the valve housing 12 of the flow control valve 10 to the side. However, this is not limited to this, for example, an air venting passage that passes upward is formed around the shaft member 14 that passes through the valve housing 12, and a fixing member is attached to keep this passage closed at all times. When venting air, the fixing member is removed or loosened to vent air through the passage. Alternatively, the shaft member 14 may be pulled out in the axial direction to temporarily release the seal on the shaft member 14 and vent air.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the flow control valve 10 is equipped with a plug 11 as its valve body that passes through the hole 1b of the fluid pipe 1 and is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 1c, but it is not limited to this, and any form of valve body can be applied as long as it is possible to control the fluid inside the pipe.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, in the above embodiment, the hydraulic rod 60 was installed in the work valve device 3, but it is not limited to this, and it may also be installed using an existing fluid pipe 1 or housing 5.

[0069] Furthermore, for example, in the above embodiment, a hole saw 72a with a smaller diameter than the fluid pipe 1 was used for drilling. However, the invention is not limited to this, and a hole saw or cutting device, wire saw device, etc. with a larger diameter than the fluid pipe 1 may be used to cut a portion of the fluid pipe inside the housing 5, the section may be removed, and a plug that seals the inner circumferential surface of the housing as a valve seat, or a flow control valve having an internal valve box containing a valve body may be installed in a continuous flow state.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the fluid pipe 1 was drilled with a hole saw 72a, but the invention is not limited to this, and the fluid pipe may be cut using a cutting tool such as an end mill to form a hole for inserting a plug into the fluid pipe. In this case, as a cutting method in a continuous flow state, for example, an end mill mounted on the housing may be rotated to drill the fluid pipe, and then the end mill and housing may be rotated in the circumferential direction of the fluid pipe in a continuous flow state to form the hole, or the end mill and housing may be moved in the axial direction of the fluid pipe to form the hole. Alternatively, the housing may be fixed to the fluid pipe, and the end mill may be rotated and moved relative to the housing and the fluid pipe to form the hole in the fluid pipe. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Fluid tube 1b Hole 1c Inner surface 3. Working valve device 5 cabinets 5b opening 5c open end 5d neck 5f Notch (engaging part) 5h Inner surface 5j Inner surface 5m protruding part (positioning part) 7 Drilling machine 8 Discharge machine 9 Occlusion lid 10 Flow control valve 11. Stopper (valve body) 12 valve housing 13. Side section 14 Shaft member 15. Open / Close Plug 13a Air vent 21 First sealing member 21b Deformed part 21c bulge 21e Concave part 22 Second sealing member 23 Sealing member 24 Sealing member 31 Working valve body 32. Housing component (operating valve housing) 33 Mounting components 34 Shaft member 51 1st division body 52 Second division body 60 Hydraulic Rod 62 cylinders 63 Pistons 64 Pressing member 69 Screw-type insertion machine 71 Mounting flange cylinder 72 cutters 73 Advancement / retraction mechanism 74 Drive motor 81 Mounting flange cylinder 83 Flexible tube 84 Operation tube 85 Discharge pipe

Claims

1. A fluid control device comprising at least a split-structure housing that seals a fluid tube, and a flow control valve having a valve body and valve housing that can be inserted into a hole in the fluid tube drilled in the housing in a continuous flow state, The housing has a neck portion which includes an open end for installing the flow control valve in the housing and an opening that opens in a direction different from the open end for attaching and detaching a work valve device that can open and close the inside of the housing. The fluid control device is characterized in that the work valve device has a support portion for supporting an insertion device for inserting the flow control valve into the neck portion.

2. The fluid control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the support portions are provided in pairs so as to sandwich the neck portion in the radial direction.

3. The fluid control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hydraulic rod constituting the insertion device is connected to the support portion.

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