Regulator

Abstract

To eliminate friction resistance generated between a piston portion and a pressure-adjusting valve body and an inner wall of a passage formed on a body holding those when a piston pressure-adjusting valve is slid (reciprocated) in a regulator used when opening / closing a pressure-adjusting valve through a piston portion by pressure fluctuation in a pressure-adjusting chamber and controlling a flow rate of a high-pressure fluid to decompress a high pressure fluid to a desired pressure, thereby preventing functional loss due to inclination of the piston pressure-adjusting valve.SOLUTION: At a valve 3 side position in an axial direction of a gap 9 formed between a pressure-adjusting valve body 5 and an inner wall 25 of a passage 2 formed on a body 1, at least one pair of annular bearings 10a and 10b made of hard synthetic resin is interposed in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-adjusting valve body 5 at a predetermined distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a regulator used to reduce the pressure of a high-pressure fluid to a desired pressure. [Background technology]

[0002] Regulators that open and close a pressure regulating valve via a piston portion in response to pressure fluctuations in a pressure regulating chamber, thereby controlling the flow rate of high-pressure fluid, are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-92436 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-67216, and are used, for example, in pressure regulators when supplying high-pressure fuel such as CNG stored in a fuel tank to an engine.

[0003] FIG. 5 shows an example of the conventional regulator, in which a cylindrical passage 2 is formed penetrating a main body 1, one open end of which is an inlet 21 for a high-pressure fluid and the other open end of which is an outlet 22 for a reduced-pressure fluid. A pressure adjustment chamber 4 is disposed inside the inlet 21 of the passage 2 via a valve seat 3 made of a valve seat retaining member 33 having a valve seat sheet 31 on the inside and having a through hole in the axial direction of the passage 2. A piston pressure adjustment valve 7 is composed of a pressure adjustment valve element 5 having a cylindrical communicating passage with both ends open and a piston portion 6 fixed to the outer periphery of the outlet 22 side of the pressure adjustment valve element 5, and is slidable in the axial direction of the passage 2 and is biased toward the outlet 22 of the passage 2 by a pressure adjustment spring 8 having a predetermined load and disposed in an atmospheric chamber provided coaxially and in parallel with the pressure adjustment chamber 4 around the piston portion 6. The high-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet 21 is introduced through a through hole 32 formed in a valve seat seat 3 holding member of the pressure regulating valve element 5 into the valve seat seat 31 and the pressure regulating chamber 4 provided opposite the valve seat seat 31, and passes through the pressure regulating valve element 5 with a communicating passage 51 formed therein, whereby a load due to the pressure of the fluid acting on the piston portion 6 joined to the pressure regulating valve element 5 and a load due to a pressure regulating spring 8 acting on the piston portion 6 on the opposite side to the pressure regulating chamber 4 are balanced, thereby changing the opening area of ​​the valve seat seat 31 and the pressure regulating valve element 5 to control the fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber 4, and the fluid adjusted to a desired pressure is taken out from the outlet 22. One opening end of a cylindrical passage 2 formed penetrating the main body 1 is used as the inlet 21 for the high-pressure fluid, and the other opening end is used as the outlet 22 for the reduced-pressure fluid. An inlet cover 23 for air-tightly introducing the high-pressure fluid and an outlet cover 24 for air-tightly taking out the adjusted pressure regulated fluid are arranged at the inlet 21 and the outlet 22, respectively.

[0004] Further, a valve seat 3 having a cylindrical valve seat sheet 31 on its inner side, an outer peripheral protrusion protruding from its outer peripheral end face being fitted into a fitting recess, and a seat retaining member 33 which is a partition wall forming a through hole 32 in the axial direction of the passage 2, is disposed inside the inlet 21 of the passage 2, and a pressure adjusting chamber 4 is formed on the side of the inlet 21 of the valve seat sheet 31 of the passage 2.

[0005] Between the pressure adjustment chamber 4 of the passage 2 and the outlet 22, a piston pressure regulating valve 7 is installed so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the passage 2. The piston pressure regulating valve 7 comprises a pressure regulating valve element 5 having a tip surface 51 capable of coming into close contact with the valve seat sheet 31 of the valve seat 3 and having a cylindrical communicating passage 52 open at both ends, and a piston portion 6 having a larger diameter than the pressure regulating valve element 5 and provided on the outer periphery of the pressure regulating valve element 5 on the outlet 22 side of the passage 2.

[0006] Furthermore, the piston portion 6 is biased in the direction of the outlet 22 of the passage 2 by a pressure regulating spring 8 having a predetermined load which is disposed around the piston portion 6 in parallel to and coaxial with the pressure regulating chamber 4, and the high-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet 21 is introduced into the pressure regulating chamber 4 provided opposite the valve seat sheet 31 through a through hole 32 formed in a retaining member 33 of the valve seat sheet 31 of the valve seat 3, and passes through the pressure regulating valve element 5 having a communicating passage 52 formed therein, so that the load due to the pressure of the fluid acting on the piston portion 6 fixed to the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the load due to the pressure regulating spring 8 acting on the piston portion 6 on the side opposite to the pressure regulating chamber 4 are balanced, thereby changing the opening area of ​​the valve seat sheet 31 and the pressure regulating valve element 5 to control the fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber 4, and a fluid adjusted to a desired pressure is taken out from the outlet 22. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52-92436 [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-67216 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the conventional regulator, the piston portion 6 and pressure regulating valve element 5 of the piston pressure regulating valve 7, which are relatively long, slide (reciprocate) at an incline within the clearance formed between them and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 in the main body 1, resulting in frictional resistance at the points of contact.

[0009] This causes a problem in that the sliding (reciprocating motion) of the piston pressure regulating valve 7 is not smooth, resulting in deterioration of performance. In particular, friction at the contact points that occurs during use increases the clearance at the contact points, causing a deterioration in performance and leading to a loss of function.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a regulator that eliminates the frictional resistance that occurs between the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the body main body for holding them when the piston pressure regulating valve is caused to slide (reciprocate), and thereby eliminates functional loss due to tilt of the piston pressure regulating valve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The regulator of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, has a cylindrical passage formed penetrating a main body, one open end of which serves as an inlet for high-pressure fluid and the other open end as an outlet for reduced-pressure fluid, and a pressure adjustment chamber is disposed inside the inlet of the passage via a valve seat made of a valve seat retaining member having a valve seat on the inside and having a through hole formed in the axial direction of the passage, and a piston pressure adjustment valve consisting of a pressure adjustment valve element having a cylindrical communicating passage with both ends open and a piston portion surrounding and fixed to the outer periphery of the outlet side of the passage of the pressure adjustment valve element, the pressure adjustment valve element being capable of sliding in the axial direction of the passage and having a pressure adjustment spring with a predetermined load which is disposed in an atmospheric chamber provided coaxially and in parallel with the pressure adjustment chamber around the piston portion so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the passage and a pressure adjusting spring for adjusting the opening area of ​​the valve seat seat and the pressure adjusting valve body so that a load due to the pressure of the fluid acting on a piston portion fixed to the pressure adjusting valve body and a load due to a pressure adjusting spring acting on the piston portion on the side opposite to the pressure adjusting chamber are balanced, thereby controlling the fluid pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber and taking out a fluid regulated to a desired pressure from an outlet, the regulator being biased toward an outlet, and a high-pressure fluid introduced from the inlet is introduced through a through hole formed in a valve seat seat retaining member of the pressure adjusting valve body, into a valve seat seat and a pressure adjusting chamber provided opposite the valve seat seat, and passes through a pressure adjusting valve body having a communicating passage formed therein, thereby controlling the fluid pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber and taking out a fluid regulated to a desired pressure from an outlet, the regulator being characterized in that at least a pair of annular bearings made of hard synthetic resin are interposed at a predetermined distance along the length of the pressure adjusting valve body at a position on the valve seat side in the axial direction of a gap formed between the pressure adjusting valve body and an inner wall of a passage formed in the body.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, the gap between the piston portion and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body is set so that when the pressure regulating valve body is tilted along the axis within the angle range allowed by the distance between the annular bearings and the gap formed between the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body, the piston portion does not come into contact with the inner wall of the passage in the main body. Therefore, even if the pressure regulating valve body is tilted, there is no need to worry about the piston portion coming into contact with the main body, which would deteriorate performance or cause damage.

[0013] Furthermore, in the present invention, an insertion groove for the annular bearing is formed on the piston portion side end face of the boss, which extends a predetermined distance along the gap from the passage of the body main body, so that the annular bearing can be installed at a predetermined longitudinal mounting position of the pressure regulating valve body simply by assembling the annular bearing into the insertion groove.

[0014] In addition, if a notch is formed in part of the annular bearing and a flange for preventing the inserted annular bearing from falling out is extended inward at the opening end of the insertion groove of the annular bearing on the piston portion side end face of the boss, the annular bearing inserted into the insertion groove will not fall out even if the pressure regulating valve body reciprocates.

[0015] In particular, since a notch is formed in one part of the annular bearing, the annular bearing can be easily inserted into the insertion groove from the opening end narrowed by the flange by pressing the annular bearing inward to reduce its diameter before assembling the pressure regulating valve body.

[0016] Furthermore, in the present invention, if an insertion groove for the annular bearing is formed in the valve seat side end face of a boss which extends a predetermined distance along the gap from the passage in the main body, and a seal member which fills the gap between the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body is provided adjacent to the end face, not only will the annular bearing inserted in the insertion groove not fall out, but when pressure is applied the annular bearing is compressed by the seal member, filling the gap between the pressure regulating valve body and the main body, thereby providing a backup ring function which prevents the seal member from protruding. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a regulator that eliminates the frictional resistance that occurs between the piston portion and the pressure regulating valve body and the inner wall of the passage formed in the main body for holding them when the piston pressure regulating valve is caused to slide (reciprocate), thereby preventing functional loss due to tilting of the piston pressure regulating valve. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the embodiment of the present invention when the valve is closed. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 when the valve is open. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a piston pressure regulating valve portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the annular bearing according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional embodiment when the valve is open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] 1 to 4 show cross-sectional views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the overall configuration is almost the same as that of the conventional example shown in Fig. 5, so detailed explanations of those parts will be omitted. Also, the same components as those of the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0021] The embodiment of the present invention differs from the conventional example in that at least a pair of annular bearings 10a, 10b made of a strong synthetic resin having low friction resistance, such as rigid polyvinyl chloride resin or polypropylene resin, are interposed a predetermined distance apart along the length of the pressure regulating valve element 5 at a position on the valve seat 3 side in the axial direction of the gap 9 formed between the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 formed in the main body 1.

[0022] In this embodiment, the gap 9 between the piston portion 6 and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 formed in the main body 1 is set so that the piston portion 6 does not come into contact with the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 in the main body 1 when the pressure regulating valve body 5 is tilted along the axis within the angle range allowed by the distance between the pair of annular bearings 10a, 10b (distance A shown in Figure 3) and the gap 9.

[0023] As a result, even if the pressure regulating valve element 5 is tilted, the piston portion 6 does not come into contact with the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 of the main body 1, so there is no risk of performance deterioration or damage during use.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a boss 11 extends a predetermined distance (distance B shown in Figure 3) from the passage 2 of the main body 1 along the gap 9, and an annular insertion groove 13a for inserting the annular bearing 10a is formed in the end face 12a of this boss 11 on the piston portion 6 side.

[0025] Therefore, the annular bearing 12a can be easily and reliably installed at a predetermined attachment position in the longitudinal direction of the pressure regulating valve body 5 simply by inserting the annular bearing 12a into the insertion groove 13a and assembling it.

[0026] In addition, in this embodiment, a flange 14a for preventing the inserted annular bearing 10a from falling out is extended inward at the opening end of the insertion groove 13a of the boss 11, so that the annular bearing 10a inserted into the insertion groove 13a will not fall out even if the pressure regulating valve body 5 reciprocates in the axial direction.

[0027] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, a notch 101a is formed in a portion of the annular bearing 10a, so that by pressing the annular bearing 10a inward from its outer circumferential surface to reduce its diameter before assembling the pressure regulating valve body 5, the annular bearing 10a can be easily inserted into the insertion groove 13a from the opening end narrowed by the flange 14a.

[0028] Incidentally, the annular bearing 10a of this embodiment, which has a notch 101a formed therein and can be reduced in diameter as shown in FIG. 4, is preferably made of a hard synthetic resin that has the aforementioned properties of strength and low friction as well as appropriate flexibility and elasticity.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an insertion groove 13b for the annular bearing 10b is formed in an end face 12b on the valve seat 3 side of the boss 11, which extends a predetermined distance from the passage 2 of the main body 1 along the gap 9, and a seal member 91 for closing the gap 9 between the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the inner wall 25 of the passage 2 formed in the main body 1 is provided adjacent to the end face 12b.

[0030] Therefore, not only does the sealing member 91 act as a wall to prevent the annular bearing 10b inserted into the insertion groove 13b from falling out, but when pressure is applied, the annular bearing 10b is compressed by the sealing member 91, filling the gap 9 between the pressure regulating valve body 5 and the main body 1, thereby providing a backup ring function to prevent the sealing member 91 from protruding out.

[0031] Furthermore, since the annular bearing 10b is prevented from coming loose by the sealing member 91, the insertion groove 13b into which this annular bearing 10b is inserted does not need to be provided with a flange 14a like the insertion groove 13a of the annular bearing 10a. However, by providing the annular bearing 10b with a notch 101b like the annular bearing 10a (see Figure 4), assembly to the pressure regulating valve body 5 can be made easier. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 body main body, 2 passage, 3 valve seat, 4 pressure adjustment chamber, 5 pressure adjustment valve body, 6 piston portion, 7 piston pressure adjustment valve, 8 pressure adjustment spring, 9 gap, 10a, 10b annular bearing, 12a, 12b end face, 13a, 13b insertion groove, 14a flange, 21 inlet, 22 outlet, 23 input cover, 24 outlet cover, 25 inner wall, 31 valve seat, 32 through hole, 33 valve seat retaining member, 51 tip face, 52 communication passage, 61 atmospheric chamber, 62 connection hole, 91 seal member, 101a, 101b notch

Claims

1. a cylindrical passage formed penetrating the body, one open end of which serves as an inlet for high-pressure fluid and the other open end of which serves as an outlet for reduced-pressure fluid; a pressure adjusting chamber is disposed inward of the inlet of the passage via a valve seat made of a valve seat holding member having a valve seat on an inner side and a through hole formed in an axial direction of the passage, a piston pressure regulating valve including a pressure regulating valve element having a tip surface capable of coming into close contact with the valve seat between the pressure regulating chamber of the passage and the outlet port, the tip surface being open at both ends, and a piston portion secured to and surrounding the outer periphery of the outlet port side of the passage of the pressure regulating valve element, the piston portion being urged toward the outlet port of the passage by a pressure regulating spring having a predetermined load and slidable in the axial direction of the passage and disposed in an atmospheric chamber provided in parallel with and coaxially with the pressure regulating chamber around the piston portion, a pressure adjusting spring for adjusting the pressure of the piston portion fixed to the pressure adjusting valve body and a pressure adjusting spring for adjusting the pressure of the piston portion on a side opposite to the pressure adjusting chamber, the pressure adjusting valve body being connected to the pressure adjusting chamber and the pressure adjusting valve body being connected to the pressure adjusting chamber, and the pressure adjusting valve body being connected to the pressure adjusting chamber and the pressure adjusting spring being connected to the pressure adjusting chamber; a pair of annular bearings made of hard synthetic resin are interposed in a gap formed between the pressure regulating valve element and a passage formed in the body, the pair of bearings being spaced a predetermined distance apart along the length of the pressure regulating valve element; One of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a first insertion groove formed in an end surface of a boss on the piston portion side, the boss extending a predetermined distance along the gap from the passage of the body main body, a regulator characterized in that the other of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a second insertion groove formed in an end face of the boss on the valve seat side, the second insertion groove extending a predetermined distance along the gap from a passage in the body main body, and a seal member for closing the gap is provided adjacent to the end face on the valve seat side.

2. A cylindrical passage formed through a main body, one open end of which serves as an inlet for a fluid and the other open end of which serves as an outlet for a fluid, a valve seat having a valve seat retaining member on an inner side of the inlet and having a through hole in an axial direction of the passage disposed inside the inlet; a piston pressure regulating valve including a pressure regulating valve element having a tip surface capable of coming into close contact with the valve seat and a cylindrical communicating passage with both ends open, and a piston portion fixed to and surrounding the outer periphery of the pressure regulating valve element on the outlet side, the piston portion being disposed so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the passage, and the piston portion being biased by a pressure regulating spring having a predetermined load in a direction in which a fluid is introduced from the inlet, a pressure adjusting spring that adjusts the pressure of the fluid to a desired level so that the pressure of the fluid is adjusted to a desired level by changing an opening area of ​​the valve seat and the pressure adjusting valve body; a pressure adjusting spring that adjusts the pressure of the fluid is adjusted to a desired level by changing an opening area of ​​the valve seat and the pressure adjusting valve body so that the pressure adjusting spring adjusts the pressure of the fluid. a pair of annular bearings made of hard synthetic resin are interposed in a gap formed between the pressure regulating valve element and a passage formed in the body, the pair of bearings being spaced a predetermined distance apart along the length of the pressure regulating valve element; One of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a first insertion groove formed in an end surface of a boss on the piston portion side, the boss extending a predetermined distance along the gap from the passage of the body main body, a regulator characterized in that the other of the pair of annular bearings is inserted into a second insertion groove formed in an end face of the boss on the valve seat side, the second insertion groove extending a predetermined distance along the gap from a passage in the body main body, and a seal member for closing the gap is provided adjacent to the end face on the valve seat side.

3. 3. The regulator according to claim 1, wherein the gap is set so that the piston portion does not come into contact with the main body when the pressure regulating valve element is tilted.

4. The one annular bearing has a notch formed in a part thereof, 4. A regulator according to claim 1, wherein a flange for preventing the inserted one of the annular bearings from falling out is extended inwardly from an open end of the first insertion groove.

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