valve

Abstract

To provide a valve capable of preventing accidental opening and closing of a valve by providing a play state during manual operation, and capable of smoothly transitioning from the play state to a rotation state.SOLUTION: In a valve 1, a tip of the other end part of a stem 6 and an engagement hole part 42 of an operating handle form corresponding circumferential surfaces and flat surfaces connected to the circumferential surfaces, and either one of the flat surfaces of the tip of the other end part of the stem 6 or the engagement hole part 42 of the operating handle is composed of two flat surfaces with a predetermined angle, so that a predetermined amount of play is created when the operating handle 4 is rotated in one direction and then in the other direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve for controlling the flow of a fluid, a manual valve or a hybrid valve that can be opened and closed manually, and in particular to a valve equipped with a safety mechanism that suppresses the opening and closing of the valve due to vibration or human error. [Background technology]

[0002] The on-off valve, which is a fluid controller disclosed in Patent Document 1, allows automatic opening and closing by moving a stem using air pressure, and also allows the stem to be moved using a manual handle, and in an emergency, the operating handle can be manually rotated to disable automatic opening and closing.

[0003] 19 shows an on-off valve 301, which is a fluid controller described in Patent Document 1. This on-off valve 301 has a casing 303, which houses a valve element and an actuator that operates the valve element, fixed to a valve body 302, which has a flow path and a valve seat formed therein, and an operating member 304, which protrudes from the upper end of the casing 303, which is covered with a handle member 305, allowing manual operation, and automatic operation by introducing a working fluid from a working fluid inlet hole 303a.

[0004] 20(a) to (e) show the manual operation procedure, illustrating the positional relationship between guide protrusion 311 provided on the upper end of casing 303 and approximately inverted U-shaped guide groove 314 of handle member 305. Mounting guide portion 317 of guide groove 314 is formed to reach the lower end of cylindrical portion 312, so that by fitting the lower end opening of mounting guide portion 317 into guide protrusion 311, as shown in FIGS. 20(a) to (c), guide protrusion 311 is guided by mounting guide portion 317 which extends up and down, and the entire handle member 305 can be moved downward. Handle member 305 is engaged with casing 503 by deforming small diameter portion 318 provided on the upper part of mounting guide portion 317 to pass guide protrusion 311.

[0005] In the state shown in FIG. 20(c), the handle member 305 can rotate within a range guided by the guide protrusion 311 in the circumferentially extending manual rotation guide portion 315. This rotation, achieved by operating the operation portion 313 of the handle member 305, rotates the operation member 304. This results in the automatic opening / closing disabled state shown in FIG. 20(d). When the handle member 305 is lifted in the state shown in FIG. 20(d), the guide protrusion 311 is guided by the lock position movement guide portion 316 that extends vertically and moves relatively downward within the lock position movement guide portion 316, and the handle member 305 moves to the position shown in FIG. 20(e). In this state, the handle member 305 can be kept unrotatable by inserting a stopping member such as a padlock or wire lock into the stopper insertion portion 319.

[0006] However, there may be cases where the worker leaves the site without lifting handle member 305 and inserting the stopping member into stopper insertion portion 319 to prevent rotation. In such cases, if another worker comes into contact with handle member 305 or if vibrations occur in the equipment, handle member 305 may rotate, causing the valve to open or close unexpectedly.

[0007] The combined valve disclosed in Patent Document 2 also allows the stem to be moved by air pressure and by a manual handle. In this combined valve, the connecting portion between the upper and lower stems that engages with the manually operated handle has a cubic protrusion 401 that engages with a groove 402 that is slightly wider than the width of this protrusion 401, as shown in Figure 21, so that the rotation of the handle is transmitted from the upper stem to the lower stem, and as the lower stem screws into a threaded portion on the inner peripheral surface of the bonnet, the rotational motion is converted into linear motion, and this linear motion can press the valve disc against the valve seat.

[0008] 21, there is a predetermined gap between the protrusion 401 at the end of the upper stem and the groove 402 at the end of the lower stem, so the rotation of the handle and upper stem is not transmitted to the lower stem even if the upper stem is rotated by a predetermined angle (angle α in the illustration). This predetermined angle, or so-called play, prevents the valve from opening or closing unexpectedly even if the operator accidentally bumps into the handle or if vibrations occur in the equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-016599 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-112206 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The upper stem and lower stem of the combined valve described in Patent Document 2 are engaged by the corner of the protrusion 401 abutting against the surface of the groove 402. Therefore, the abutment is a line contact, and wear at the abutment may cause problems with opening and closing. In addition, because the rotation is from a line contact, there is a problem that the transition from a no-load play state to a loaded rotation state is not intuitively smooth for the operator.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a valve that can prevent accidental opening and closing of the valve by providing play during manual operation without increasing the number of parts, and that can smoothly transition from the play state to the rotation state. Also, the present invention provides a valve that can achieve the stopper function when fully closed or fully open without the need to lift the operating handle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The valve according to the present invention (1), which has been made to solve the above problems, is a valve comprising: a valve body having a fluid flow path and a valve seat disposed in the fluid flow path formed therein; a diaphragm that abuts and separates from the seat surface of the valve seat; a hollow bonnet that fixes the peripheral edge of the diaphragm to the valve body; a diaphragm presser that abuts against the diaphragm and presses it toward the valve seat; and a stem having one end having a male thread formed on its outer surface that screws into a female thread formed on the inner surface of the bonnet, and the other end protruding from the bonnet and engaging with an engaging hole formed in the center of the inner surface of an operating handle, wherein the tip of the other end of the stem and the engaging hole form corresponding circumferential surface portions and flat portions that are continuous with the circumferential surface portions, and either the tip of the other end of the stem or the flat portions of the engaging hole are constituted by two flat surfaces at a predetermined angle, so that a predetermined amount of play is generated when the operating handle is rotated in one direction and then in the other direction.

[0013] In the valve of the present invention (2), a cylindrical engaging member that engages with the engaging hole can be attached to the tip of the other end of the stem.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent accidental opening and closing of the valve by providing a predetermined amount of play in the engagement portion between the stem and the operating handle without increasing the number of parts.

[0015] In this case, the operating handle of present invention (3) comprises an operating part and a cylindrical part that covers the bonnet, and a protruding guide that engages with a groove of a cylindrical indicator fixed to the bonnet is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical part, and the operating handle is constantly urged by a urging means in a direction that releases the engagement between the operating handle and the stem, and the groove part can form a circumferential groove and an axial groove along which the guide moves axially when the valve is in a fully closed or fully open state.

[0016] The operating handle has a guide that rotates along the circumferential groove, and when the valve is fully closed or fully open, the guide is positioned in the axial groove and is separated from the circumferential groove by the biasing means, preventing the operating handle from rotating. At this time, the axial groove has a top surface that prevents the guide from moving at a position where the operating handle does not come off the stem, stopping the movement of the guide.

[0017] In addition, the valve of the present invention (4) can have a piston and a cylinder disposed between the diaphragm holder and the stem, the piston and cylinder being moved in the axial direction by the working fluid.

[0018] The valve according to the present invention (5) made to solve the above problems is as follows: a valve body having a fluid flow path and a valve seat disposed in the fluid flow path formed therein; a diaphragm that contacts and separates from the seat surface of the valve seat; a hollow bonnet that fixes the peripheral edge of the diaphragm to the valve body; a diaphragm presser that contacts the diaphragm and presses it toward the valve seat; a lower stem having an outer peripheral surface formed with a male thread portion that screws into an internal thread portion formed on an inner peripheral surface of the bonnet; an upper stem having one end engaged with the lower stem and the other end projecting from the bonnet and engaging with an operating handle, The engagement portion between the upper stem and the lower stem has a pair of arc-shaped fan-shaped abutment portions formed on one end face, with the center side of the abutment being arc-shaped, and a protrusion formed on the other end face, which has a pair of approximately fan-shaped notches with an arc length longer than the arc length of the fan-shaped abutment portion, and an upright surface that makes surface contact with the flat side surface of the fan-shaped abutment portion.

[0019] In the valve of the present invention, the engagement between the upper stem and the lower stem is surface contact, which contributes to smooth opening and closing.

[0020] In this case, the operating handle of present invention (6) comprises an operating part and a cylindrical part that covers the bonnet, and a protruding guide that engages with a groove of a cylindrical indicator fixed to the bonnet is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical part, and the operating handle is always biased by a biasing means in a direction that releases the engagement between the operating handle and the upper stem, and the groove can form a circumferential groove that allows the operating handle to rotate and an axial groove along which the guide moves axially when the valve is in a fully closed or fully open state.

[0021] The operating handle has a guide that rotates along the circumferential groove, and when the valve is fully closed or fully open, the guide is positioned in the axial groove and is separated from the circumferential groove by the biasing means, preventing the operating handle from rotating. At this time, the axial groove has a top surface that prevents the guide from moving at a position where the operating handle does not come off the stem, stopping the movement of the guide.

[0022] The hybrid valve according to the present invention (8) made to solve the above problems is as follows: a valve body having a fluid flow path and a valve seat disposed in the fluid flow path formed therein; a diaphragm that contacts and separates from the seat surface of the valve seat; a hollow bonnet that fixes the peripheral edge of the diaphragm to the valve body; a diaphragm presser that contacts the diaphragm and presses it toward the valve seat; A hybrid valve including a piston that moves in the axial direction by a working fluid or a pressing means that presses the diaphragm presser toward the diaphragm, and a stem that manually moves the piston in the axial direction, a piston including a piston body that is in sliding contact with an inner peripheral surface of a cylinder, a pressing shaft that extends from the piston body toward both sides in the axial direction, and a working fluid introducing shaft; a stepped cylindrical intermediate body fixed to the bonnet, the intermediate body having an engagement cylindrical portion on an opposite side to the bonnet that is smaller in diameter than the bonnet fixing side; a rotor fitted to the cylindrical engagement portion and having a working fluid inlet hole formed on its circumferential surface for introducing a working fluid, The intermediate body has a central through-hole formed therein into which the working fluid introduction shaft is fitted, and also has a communication hole formed therein that connects the internal flow path of the working fluid introduction shaft to the working fluid introduction hole.

[0023] In order to open and close the on-off valve 301 in Figure 19 using a working fluid, it is necessary to connect the working fluid inlet 303a to a working fluid supply source with piping. If manual operation is not required, piping can be easily performed by providing the working fluid inlet on the top, but in the case of a hybrid valve, the working fluid inlet can only be provided on the periphery of the body. While this is not a problem if there is ample space around the working fluid inlet 303a in Figure 19, when used in an integrated gas system, the on-off valve 301 is close to other valves or other fluid control devices, and connecting piping to the working fluid inlet 303a is often difficult.

[0024] The present invention (8) has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a hybrid valve that allows easy connection of pipes even when the space around the working fluid inlet hole is narrow, such as when used in an integrated gas system.

[0025] In the hybrid valve of the present invention (8), the working fluid inlet hole is formed in the rotor fitted to the cylindrical engaging portion of the intermediate body, so that the working fluid inlet hole can be positioned anywhere within 360°.

[0026] According to the hybrid valve of the present invention (8), the working fluid inlet port that connects to the working fluid supply source can be positioned anywhere within 360°, so that a hybrid valve that can be easily connected to piping can be provided even when used in an integrated gas system.

[0027] In this case, the stem of present invention (9) has a male threaded portion formed on its outer surface which screws into a female threaded portion formed on the inner surface of the manual operation space formed inside the engaging cylindrical portion, and is composed of a lower stem having one end which presses the piston toward the diaphragm and an upper stem having one end which engages with an engaging end formed on the other end of the lower stem and the other end which protrudes from the manual operation space and engages with an operating handle, the operating handle having a cylindrical portion which covers the operating portion and the tip of the engaging cylindrical portion, and a protruding guide which engages with a groove of a cylindrical indicator fixed to the engaging cylindrical portion is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, and the operating handle is always urged by an urging means in a direction which releases the engagement between the operating handle and the upper stem, and the groove of the indicator can be formed with a circumferential groove and an axial groove along which the guide moves axially when the valve is in a fully closed or fully open state.

[0028] The operating handle has a guide that rotates along the circumferential groove, and when the valve is fully closed or fully open, the guide is positioned in the axial groove and is separated from the circumferential groove by the biasing means, preventing the operating handle from rotating. At this time, the axial groove has a top surface that prevents the guide from moving at a position where the operating handle does not come off the stem, stopping the movement of the guide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] According to the valve of the present invention, it is possible to provide a valve that, without increasing the number of parts, prevents accidental opening and closing of the valve by providing a state of play during manual operation, allows for a smooth transition from the state of play to the state of rotation, and effectively prevents deterioration due to wear and tear because the part where the stem and operating handle engage is in surface contact. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view of a valve of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B show the operating handle of the valve, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of (a). [Figure 3] 1A and 1B show parts of the valve, where (a) is a perspective view of the operating handle, (b) is a perspective view of the indicator fixed to the bonnet, (c) is a perspective view of the engaging member, and (d) is a perspective view of another example of the engaging member. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B show another example of the operating handle of the valve, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a YY cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 5] 2, (b1) to (b3) show the engagement state between the engaging member of FIG. 3(c) and the operating handle of FIG. 4, (b1) to (b3) show the engagement state between the engaging member of FIG. 3(d) and the operating handle of FIG. 4, where (a1) and (b1) show the state in which the flat surface of the engaging member and the flat surface of the operating handle abut before the operating handle is rotated, (a2) and (b2) show the state in which the operating handle has started to rotate and has been moved 10°, and (a3) ​​and (b3) show the state in which it has been rotated a further 90°, taken along the ZZ cross section of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing another example of a valve of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing another example of the valve of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view of a valve of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B show the operating handle of the valve, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of (a). [Figure 10] 1A is a perspective view of an operating handle, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an indicator fixed to the bonnet, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a handle engaging member of the valve. [Figure 11] The figures show the engagement part of the stem of the valve, where (a1) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state before engagement, (a2) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the engaged state, (b) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state before engagement of another embodiment, (c1) is the state before the upper stem (operating handle) is rotated, (c2) is the state when rotation has started and the erected surface of the protrusion and the flat side surface of the fan-shaped abutment part are abutting, and (c3) is a plan view of the engagement part showing the state after being rotated a further 90°. [Figure 12]FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing another example of a valve of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing another example of the valve of the second invention. [Figure 14] 1 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing a hybrid valve of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 1A and 1B show the operating handle of the valve, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of (a). [Figure 16] 1A is a perspective view of an operating handle, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an indicator fixed to the bonnet, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a handle engaging member of the valve. [Figure 17] The figures show the engagement part of the stem of the valve, where (a1) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state before engagement, (a2) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the engaged state, (b) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the state before engagement of another embodiment, (c1) is the state before the upper stem (operating handle) is rotated, (c2) is the state when rotation has started and the erected surface of the protrusion and the flat side surface of the fan-shaped abutment part are abutting, and (c3) is a plan view of the engagement part showing the state after being rotated a further 90°. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the hybrid valve of the present invention. [Figure 19] 1A and 1B show a conventional valve, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view before a handle member is attached, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view after the handle member is attached. [Figure 20] 1 shows the same conventional valve, in which (a) is the state before the handle member is attached, (b) is the state when the guide protrusion of the casing is engaged with the guide groove of the handle member, (c) is the state when the guide protrusion has reached the small diameter part of the guide groove, (d) is the state when the guide protrusion has passed the small diameter part and reached the guide part for manual rotation, and (e) is the state when the guide protrusion has reached the guide part for moving to the locked position. [Figure 21] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the play of the engagement portion between the upper stem and the lower stem of another conventional valve. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Preferred embodiments of the valve according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The shapes of the components and their relative positions described in these examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, for convenience, the directions of components may be referred to as up, down, left, and right in the drawings, but these do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0032] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view of a valve 1 according to the present invention. The valve 1 according to the present invention comprises a valve body 2 having a fluid flow path 20, consisting of an inlet path 20A and an outlet path 20B, and a valve seat 21 disposed around the periphery of the open end of the inlet path 20A, a diaphragm 8 that contacts and separates from the seating surface of the valve seat 21, a hollow bonnet 3 that secures the periphery of the diaphragm 8 to the valve body 2, a diaphragm retainer 7 that contacts the diaphragm 8 and presses it toward the valve seat 21, and a stem 6 having one end formed on its outer periphery with a male thread 61 that threads into a female thread 31 formed on the inner periphery of the bonnet 3, and the other end protruding from the bonnet and engaging with an engaging hole 42 formed in the center of the inner surface of an operating handle 4.

[0033] As described above, the other end of the stem 6 protrudes from the bonnet, is inserted into an engagement hole 42 of the operating handle 4 (described later), and is biased toward the valve body 2 by a biasing means 10 such as a spring between the top surface of the engagement hole 42. The tip of the other end of the stem 6 protruding from the bonnet 3 and the engagement hole 42 of the operating handle 4 form corresponding circumferential surfaces and a flat surface continuing to the circumferential surfaces. In this first embodiment, the flat surface 50 at the tip of the other end of the stem 6 abuts against the flat surface 42a of the engagement hole 42, thereby transmitting the rotation of the operating handle 4 to the stem 6 (see FIG. 5).

[0034] Furthermore, either the tip of the other end of the stem 6 or the flat surface of the engagement hole portion 42 is configured from two flat surfaces at a predetermined angle, so that a predetermined amount of play is created when the operating handle 4 is rotated in one direction and then rotated in the other direction.

[0035] 6, the flat surface at the tip of the other end of the stem 6 may be formed directly on the stem 6, but in this first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a cylindrical engaging member 5 shown in FIGS. 3(c) and 3(d) is inserted into the tip of the other end of the stem 6 and fixed with a setscrew. By using the engaging member 5, the rotation position of the operating handle 4 can be adjusted as desired when it is attached.

[0036] In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the flat surface 50 of the engaging member 5 is configured from two planes at a predetermined angle, and is formed so that the flat surface 50 and the flat surface 42a of the engaging hole 42 shown in Fig. 2(a) come into contact when the operating handle 4 is rotated, thereby generating a predetermined amount of play when the operating handle 4 is rotated in one direction and then in the other direction. The two flat surfaces of the flat surface 50 of the engaging member 5 are preferably formed, for example, by chamfering the cylindrical engaging member 5 at 10° angles each.

[0037] <Modification> As a modification of the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the flat surface 42b of the engagement hole 42 can be configured as two flat surfaces at a predetermined angle, and can be formed so as to come into contact with the flat surface 51 of the engagement member 5 shown in Fig. 3(d) when the operating handle 4 is rotated. By configuring it in this way, when the operating handle 4 is rotated in one direction and then in the other direction, a predetermined amount of play is generated, as in the first embodiment.

[0038] As described above, by configuring either the tip of the other end of the stem 6 (engagement member 5) or the flat portion of the engagement hole 42 of the operating handle with two flat surfaces at a predetermined angle, a predetermined amount of play is generated when the operating handle 4 is rotated in one direction and then in the other direction, which prevents accidental opening and closing of the valve and allows for a smooth transition from the play state to the rotation state. In addition, because the portion where the stem 6 and the operating handle 4 engage is in surface contact, deterioration due to wear and the like can be effectively prevented. Furthermore, the configuration of the present invention can achieve the desired effect without particularly increasing the number of parts.

[0039] As described above, one end of the stem 6 has a male thread 61 formed on its outer surface that screws into the female thread 31 formed on the inner surface of the bonnet 3, and an abutment portion 62 that abuts against the diaphragm retainer 7. When the stem 6 is rotated by the operating handle 4, it moves up and down a distance corresponding to the thread pitch. This presses the diaphragm retainer 7 toward the diaphragm 8, causing the diaphragm 8 to abut against the valve seat 21 and block the flow of fluid. When the stem 6 rises, the pressure on the diaphragm 8 by the diaphragm retainer 7 is released, and the self-restoring force of the diaphragm 8 and the fluid pressure in the inflow path 20A move the diaphragm 8 away from the valve seat 21, allowing the flow of fluid.

[0040] The valve body 2 shows an example of a valve to be installed in an accumulation system, and shows an example in which the open ends of the inlet channel 20A and the outlet channel 20B are formed on the bottom surface, but of course it is not limited to this. In addition, a recess for fixing the bonnet 3 is formed on the top surface side, and a female thread portion 22 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess to be threaded with a male thread portion 30 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bonnet 3.

[0041] The hollow bonnet 3 has a male thread 30 formed on the outer peripheral surface at one end thereof, which screws into a female thread 22 formed on the inner peripheral surface of a recess in the valve body 2. The outer peripheral edge of this one end presses against an annular diaphragm fixing member 32 that abuts against the peripheral edge of the diaphragm 8, thereby fixing the diaphragm 8 to the valve body 2. Note that the diaphragm fixing member 32 may be omitted, and the end of the bonnet 3 may directly press and fix the diaphragm 8.

[0042] Additionally, an indicator 9 is fixed to the other end of the bonnet 3. The indicator 9 has a circumferential groove 90a and axial grooves 90b and 90c formed on its peripheral surface to guide a guide 43 of the operating handle 4, which will be described later. The characters [OPEN] and [CLOSE] are printed on the top surface of the indicator 9, and the open / closed state of the valve 1 can be seen from a window 45 in the operating handle 4. For this reason, the indicator 9 is rotatable relative to the bonnet 3 and can be fixed at any position with a setscrew, so that the printed characters are displayed correctly when the valve is open or closed.

[0043] The operating handle 4 is made of resin and includes an operating portion 40 having an internal engagement portion for engaging one end of the stem 6 (engagement member 5) and a cylindrical portion 41 that covers the bonnet 3. However, the material is not limited to resin. The operating portion 40 has a cylindrical insertion opening 44 through which a stopper is inserted. The internal engagement portion is an engagement hole 42 through which the one end of the stem 6 (engagement member 5) is inserted, and has flat engagement portions 42a and 42b that correspond to the flat portions 50 and 51 formed on the cylindrical one end of the stem 6 (engagement member 5). The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41 is formed with a protruding guide 43 that engages with a groove 90 of a cylindrical indicator 9 fixed to the bonnet 3. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the guide 43 has an engagement surface 43a that protrudes inward at its upper portion, and its inner surface is chamfered to form a downwardly inclined surface 43b.

[0044] The operating handle 4 is constantly urged by the urging means 10 in a direction that disengages the operating handle 4 from the stem 6 (engaging member 5), but the guide 43 engages with the upper surface of the circumferential groove 90a of the groove portion 90 or the upper top surface of the axial groove 90b, so that the engagement between the operating handle 4 and the stem 6 (engaging member 5) is not disengaged. Also, a window portion 45 is formed in an appropriate position of the operating handle 4 (above the guide 43 in this first embodiment), so that the characters written on the top surface of the indicator 9 described above can be seen from outside.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the groove portion 90 of the indicator 9 includes a circumferential groove 90a at the lower end of the indicator 9 and axial grooves 90b and 90c at both ends of the circumferential groove 90a, extending toward the upper end. The axial grooves through which the guide 43 moves axially when the valve is fully closed or fully open include the axial groove 90b at the fully closed position and the axial groove 90c at the fully open position. Each groove has a top surface that restricts the upward movement of the guide 43. These top surfaces engage with the engagement surface 43a of the guide 43 to serve as a stopper. The axial groove 90d, which does not have a top surface and is located between the axial grooves 90b and 90c, is an axial groove through which the guide 43 passes when the operating handle 4 is attached. Its width is narrower than the other axial grooves and slightly wider than the width of the guide 43. The groove depth is also shallow, allowing the operating handle 4 to elastically deform during attachment, preventing the operating handle 4 from falling off during normal operation.

[0046] The valve 1 is constructed by placing the stem 6 and diaphragm retainer 7 in an engaged state inside the bonnet 3, and placing the diaphragm 8 and diaphragm fixing member 32 on the valve seat 21 of the valve body 2, and then screwing and fixing the bonnet 3 to the valve body 2. At this time, the stem 6 is rotated 45° from the fully closed position to the open position. The indicator 9 and engaging member 5 are then adjusted to their respective rotational positions and attached to the bonnet 3 and stem 6, respectively. With the biasing means 10 in place, the operating handle 4 is then attached so that the flat surfaces 42a and 42b of the engaging hole 42 are aligned with the flat surfaces 50 and 51 of the stem 6 (engaging member 5). The guide 43 of the operating handle 4 can then be attached along the axial mounting groove 90d of the indicator 9. When the guide 43 reaches the circumferential groove 90a, the operating handle 4 is rotated to the fully closed or fully open position, completing the assembly of the valve 1.

[0047] Next, the rotational operation of the valve 1 of the present invention will be described.

[0048] The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(a1) to 5(a3). First, the engagement portion between the engaging member 5 attached to the tip of the other end of the stem 6 and the operating handle 4 starts from the position shown in FIG. 5(a1) (the valve is fully closed). First, the operating handle 4 is pushed in against the biasing means 10 and rotated counterclockwise by 10° from (a1) to (a2). During this time, no rotational force is applied to the engaging member 5, and the engaging member 5 does not rotate, and the engaging member 5 and the stem 6 do not move up or down. Because of this play, even if the operating handle 4 is slightly rotated due to the operator's body bumping into it or vibrations occurring when the guide 43 is disengaged from the axial grooves 90b and 90c and no opening or closing operation is being performed, the engaging member 5 and the stem 6 do not rotate. This prevents the positional relationship between the diaphragm 8 and the valve seat 21 from changing, and prevents unexpected fluid flow or interruption.

[0049] Next, when the operating handle reaches the state (a2), the flat surface 42a of the engagement hole 42 of the operating handle abuts against the flat surface 50 (one of the two flat surfaces) of the engagement member 5. By rotating the operating handle counterclockwise by a further 90° from (a2) to (a3), the engagement with the engagement member 5 becomes a surface-contact engagement, and the reaction force that the flat surface 50 of the engagement member 5 receives from the flat surface 42a of the engagement hole 42 is dispersed over the entire surface and becomes smaller compared to the case of line contact. Therefore, operation using the operating handle 4 is smooth, and the operator does not feel any play in the rotation.

[0050] Furthermore, by rotating the diaphragm 8 counterclockwise by another 90° from (a2) to (a3), the engaging member 5 and the stem 6 also rotate by 90°. As a result, the male thread portion 61 of the stem 6 that is threaded into the female thread portion 31 of the bonnet 3 moves upward by the pitch of the 90° rotation, and the abutment portion 62 moves away from the diaphragm retainer 7. Then, the self-restoring force of the diaphragm 8 and the fluid pressure in the inflow path 20A move the diaphragm 8 away from the valve seat 21 to a fully open state.

[0051] <Embodiment 2> A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 7. The second embodiment of the present invention is a so-called hybrid valve that can be operated automatically or manually, in which a piston 11 and a cylinder 12 that are moved axially by a working fluid such as air are arranged between the diaphragm retainer 7 and the stem 6.

[0052] Hybrid valves are typically divided into a normally closed type in which piston 11 presses diaphragm retainer 7 with pressing means 13 such as a spring, and a normally open type in which pressing means 13 such as a spring releases pressure on diaphragm retainer 7. Working fluid flows into the side of piston 11 opposite the side that is loaded by pressing means 13; in the normally closed type, the valve opens with the inflow of working fluid, and in the normally open type, the valve closes with the inflow of working fluid. The working fluid is supplied from working fluid inlet hole 16 via intermediate stem 14 and internal flow path 15 of piston 11. The valve shown in the figure is a normally closed type hybrid valve.

[0053] In a hybrid valve, if the hydraulic fluid does not stop or does not flow for some reason during operation, the valve can be opened and closed manually. However, as mentioned above, if there is no play in the engagement between the stem and the operating handle, an unexpected stoppage of the fluid may occur if the operator hits the operating handle.

[0054] Therefore, in the hybrid valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as in the first embodiment, the above-mentioned problem is solved by providing play in the engagement portion between the stem and the operating handle.

[0055] <Embodiment 3> A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 8 to 11. Figure 8 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view of a valve 101 of the present invention. The valve 101 of the present invention is a valve comprising: a valve body 102 having formed therein a fluid flow path 120 consisting of an inlet path 120A and an outlet path 120B, and a valve seat 121 disposed around the periphery of the internal open end of the inlet path 120A; a diaphragm 108 that abuts and separates from the seat surface of the valve seat 121; a hollow bonnet 103 that fixes the periphery of the diaphragm 108 to the valve body 102; a diaphragm presser 107 that abuts against the diaphragm 108 and presses it towards the valve seat 121; a lower stem 106 having a male thread portion 161 formed on its outer surface that screws into a female thread portion 131 formed on the inner surface of the bonnet 103; and an upper stem 105 having one end that engages with the lower stem 106 and the other end that protrudes from the bonnet 103 and engages with an operating handle 104.

[0056] The engagement between the upper stem 105 and the lower stem 106 is such that a pair of arc-shaped sectorial contact portions 160, 160 is formed on one end face, i.e., the lower stem 106 in this embodiment, and a protrusion 150 is formed on the other end face, i.e., the upper stem 105 in this embodiment, having a pair of substantially sectorially shaped notches 150b, 150b whose arc length is longer than the arc length of the sectorial contact portion 160, and upright surfaces 150a, 150a that come into surface contact with the flat side surfaces 160a, 160a of the sectorial contact portion 160. When the sectorial contact portion 160 and the protrusion 150 are both sector-shaped as shown in FIG. 11(b), a predetermined gap must be provided at the center to allow passage of the other. Furthermore, it is preferable that the central side of the arc-shaped sectorial contact portion 160 also has an arc-shaped surface 160b (see FIG. 11(a1)). The difference between the arc length of the cutout portion 150b and the arc length of the sector-shaped contact portion 160 is the allowance, which is set to 20° in this embodiment.

[0057] As described above, the upper stem 105 has a protrusion 150 at one end that engages with the lower stem 106, and the other end is inserted into a hole 142 in the operating handle 104 (described later) and is biased toward the lower stem 6 by a biasing means such as a spring between the upper stem 105 and the top surface of the hole 142. The upper stem 105 also has a flat surface that abuts against the flat surface 142a of the hole 142, so that rotation of the operating handle 104 is transmitted to the upper stem 105. This flat surface may be formed directly on the upper stem 105, as shown in FIG. 12, or, as shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical engagement piece 155 (see FIG. 10(c)) may be inserted into the stem 105 and fixed with a set screw. By using the engagement piece 155, the rotational position of the operating handle 4 can be adjusted as desired.

[0058] As described above, lower stem 106 has at one end a fan-shaped abutment portion 160 that engages with upper stem 105, and at the other end abutment portion 162 that abuts against diaphragm retainer 107. Lower stem 106 also has a male thread portion 161 formed on its circumferential surface that threadably engages with female thread portion 131 formed on the inner surface of bonnet 103, and when upper stem 105 is rotated by operating handle 104, it moves up and down a distance corresponding to the thread pitch. This presses diaphragm retainer 107 toward diaphragm 8, causing diaphragm 108 to abut against valve seat 121 and block the flow of fluid. When lower stem 106 rises, the pressure on diaphragm 8 by diaphragm retainer 107 is released, and the self-restoring force of diaphragm 108 and the fluid pressure in inflow path 120A cause diaphragm 108 to move away from valve seat 121, allowing the flow of fluid.

[0059] The valve body 102 shows an example of a valve to be installed in an accumulation system, and shows an example in which the open ends of the inlet channel 120A and the outlet channel 120B are formed on the bottom surface, but of course it is not limited to this. In addition, a recess for fixing the bonnet 103 is formed on the top surface side, and a female thread portion 122 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess to be threaded with a male thread portion 130 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bonnet 103.

[0060] The hollow bonnet 103 has a male thread 130 formed on the outer peripheral surface at one end thereof, which screws into a female thread 122 formed on the inner peripheral surface of a recess in the valve body 102. The outer peripheral edge of this one end presses against an annular diaphragm fixing member 132 that abuts against the peripheral edge of the diaphragm 108, thereby fixing the diaphragm 108 to the valve body 102. Note that the diaphragm fixing member 132 may be omitted, and the end of the bonnet 103 may directly press and fix the diaphragm 108.

[0061] Additionally, indicator 109 is fixed to the other end of bonnet 103. Indicator 109 has a circumferential groove 190a and axial grooves 190b and 190c formed on its peripheral surface to guide guide 143 of operating handle 104, which will be described later. The characters [OPEN] and [CLOSE] are printed on the top surface of indicator 109, and the open / closed state of valve 101 can be seen from window 145 of operating handle 104. For this reason, indicator 109 is rotatable relative to bonnet 103 and can be fixed at any position with a setscrew, so that the printed characters are displayed correctly when the valve is open or closed.

[0062] The operating handle 104 is made of resin and includes an operating portion 140 having an internal engagement portion for the upper stem 105 and a cylindrical portion 141 that covers the bonnet 103, but is not limited to being made of resin. The operating portion 140 has a cylindrical insertion opening 144 through which a stopper is inserted. The internal engagement portion is an engagement hole 142 through which one end of the upper stem 105 is inserted, and a flat engagement portion 142a is formed in part corresponding to the flat portion formed on the cylindrical end of the upper stem 105. The inner surface of the cylindrical portion 141 is formed with a protruding guide 143 that engages with a groove 190 of the cylindrical indicator 109 fixed to the bonnet 103. As shown in FIG. 9(b), this guide 143 has an engagement surface 143a that protrudes inward at the top, and its inner surface is chamfered to form a downwardly inclined surface 143b.

[0063] The operating handle 104 is constantly urged by the urging means 110 in a direction that disengages the operating handle 104 from the upper stem 105, but the guide 143 engages with the upper surface of the circumferential groove 190a of the groove portion 190 or the upper top surface of the axial groove 190b, so that the engagement between the operating handle 104 and the upper stem 105 is not disengaged. Also, a window portion 145 is formed in an appropriate position of the operating handle 104 (above the guide 143 in this embodiment), and is configured so that the characters written on the top surface of the indicator 109 described above can be seen from the outside.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 10(b), the groove portion 190 of the indicator 109 has a circumferential groove 190a formed on the lower end side of the indicator 109 and axial grooves 190b, 190c formed on both ends of the circumferential groove 190a and extending toward the upper end side. The axial grooves through which the guide 143 moves axially when the valve is fully closed or fully open include the axial groove 190b for the fully closed position and the axial groove 190c for the fully open position, each of which has a top surface that restricts the upward movement of the guide 143. This top surface engages with the engagement surface 143a of the guide 143 to serve as a stopper. The axial groove 190d, which does not have a top surface and is located between the axial grooves 190b, 190c, is the axial groove through which the guide 143 passes when the operating handle 104 is attached. Its width is narrower than the other axial grooves and slightly wider than the width of the guide 143. The groove is shallow, and the operating handle is attached while being elastically deformed, thereby preventing the operating handle 104 from falling off during normal operation.

[0065] The valve 101 is constructed by disposing the engaged upper stem 105, lower stem 106, and diaphragm retainer 107 inside the bonnet 103, and placing the diaphragm 108 and diaphragm fixing member 132 on the valve seat 121 of the valve body 102, and then screwing the bonnet 103 into the valve body 102 to secure it. At this time, the stem is rotated 45° from the fully closed position to the open position. The rotational positions of the indicator 109 and engagement piece 155 are then adjusted and attached to the bonnet 103 and upper stem 5, respectively. With the biasing means 110 in place, the operating handle 104 is attached so that the flat surface 142a of the hole 142 of the operating handle 104 is aligned with the flat surface of the upper stem 5 (the flat surface 155a of the engagement piece 155), and the guide 143 of the operating handle 104 can be attached along the axial attachment groove 190d of the indicator 109. When the guide 143 reaches the circumferential groove 190a, the operating handle 4 is rotated to the fully closed or fully open position, and the assembly of the valve 101 is completed.

[0066] Next, the rotational operation of the valve 101 of the present invention will be described.

[0067] First, the engagement portion between the upper stem 105 and the lower stem 6 starts from a position rotated 10° clockwise from Fig. 11(c1) (valve fully closed state). First, the operating handle 104 is pushed in against the biasing means 110 and rotated 10° counterclockwise from Fig. 11(c1) (20° from the initial state). During this time, the upper stem 105 rotates together with the operating handle 104, but no force in the rotational direction is applied to the lower stem 106, and the lower stem 106 does not rotate or move up or down. Because of this play, even if the operating handle 104 is rotated slightly due to the operator's body bumping into it or vibrations occurring when the guide 143 is out of the axial grooves 190b, 190c and not during opening or closing operations, the lower stem 106 will not rotate, and the relative positions of the diaphragm 108 and the valve seat 121 will not change, preventing unexpected fluid flow or blockage.

[0068] Next, in the state (c2), the erected surface 150a of the protrusion 150 of the upper stem 105 comes into contact with the flat side surface 160a of the sectorial abutment portion 160 of the lower stem 106. At this time, the engagement between the upper stem 105 and the lower stem 106 is surface contact, and when the upper stem 105 is rotated counterclockwise from the state (c2), the reaction force that the erected surface 150a receives from the flat side surface 160a is dispersed over the entire surface and is smaller than in the case of line contact. Therefore, operation using the operating handle 104 is smooth, and the operator does not feel any play in the rotation.

[0069] Then, by rotating the lower stem 106 counterclockwise by 90° from the state (c2), the lower stem 106 also rotates by 90°. As a result, the male thread portion 161 of the lower stem 106, which is threaded into the female thread portion 131 of the bonnet 103, moves upward by the pitch of the 90° rotation, and the abutment portion 162 moves away from the diaphragm presser 107. Then, the self-restoring force of the diaphragm 108 and the fluid pressure in the inflow path 120A move the diaphragm 108 away from the valve seat 121, to a fully open state.

[0070] <Embodiment 4> A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 13. The fourth embodiment of the present invention is a so-called hybrid valve in which a piston 111 and a cylinder 112 that are moved axially by a working fluid such as air are arranged between a diaphragm holder 107 and a lower stem 106.

[0071] Hybrid valves are typically divided into a normally closed type in which piston 111 presses diaphragm retainer 107 with pressing means 113 such as a spring, and a normally open type in which pressure on the diaphragm retainer is released by pressing means such as a spring. Working fluid flows into the side opposite to the side on which load is applied by the pressing means of piston 111; in the normally closed type, the inflow of working fluid opens the valve, while in the normally open type, the inflow of working fluid closes the valve. The working fluid is supplied from working fluid inlet hole 116 via intermediate stem 114 and internal flow path 115 of piston 111. The valve shown in the figure is a normally closed type hybrid valve.

[0072] Hybrid valves can be manually closed when the hydraulic fluid flow is not stopped for some reason in the case of normally closed valves, or when the hydraulic fluid flow is blocked for some reason in the case of normally open valves. However, as mentioned above, if there is no play in the engagement between the upper stem and the lower stem, an unexpected stoppage of the fluid flow may occur if the operator hits the operating handle.

[0073] Therefore, in the hybrid valve according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is solved by providing the stopper function and play in the stem engagement portion.

[0074] <Embodiment 5> 14 to 17 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a partially cutaway front cross-sectional view of a hybrid valve 201 of the present invention. Hybrid valve 201 of the present invention is a hybrid valve including: a valve body 202 formed therein with a fluid flow path 220 consisting of an inlet path 220A and an outlet path 220B, and a valve seat 221 disposed around the periphery of the inner open end of inlet path 220A; a diaphragm 208 that abuts and separates from the seat surface of valve seat 221; a hollow bonnet 203 that fixes the periphery of diaphragm 208 to valve body 202; a diaphragm presser 207 that abuts against diaphragm 208 and presses it toward valve seat 221; a piston 211 that moves axially by a working fluid or pressing means 213 that presses diaphragm presser 207 toward diaphragm 208; and an upper stem 205 and a lower stem 206 that manually move piston 211 in the axial direction.

[0075] The hybrid valve 201 includes a piston 211 composed of a piston body 211a that slides against the inner peripheral surface of a cylinder 212, a pressing shaft 211b that extends from the piston body 211a toward both sides in the axial direction, and a working fluid introduction shaft 211c; a stepped cylindrical intermediate body 215 that is fixed to the bonnet 203 and forms an engaging cylindrical portion 215A on the side opposite the bonnet that has a smaller diameter than the side fixed to the bonnet; and a cylindrical rotating body 216 that is coaxial with the intermediate body 215 and is fitted into the engaging cylindrical portion 215A, and has a working fluid introduction hole 216a that introduces the working fluid formed on its peripheral surface.

[0076] <Intermediate> The intermediate body 215 has a pressing means storage space 215b, a central through-hole 215a, and a manual operation space 215c formed continuously from the bonnet side inside, and is provided with a communication hole 215d for introducing the working fluid supplied from the working fluid introduction hole 216a into an internal flow path 211d having an opening end at the end face of the working fluid introduction shaft 211c of the piston 211 inserted into the central through-hole 215a.

[0077] The piston 211 is also provided with a lower stem 206 having a male thread portion 261 formed on its outer peripheral surface which screws into a female thread portion 215e formed on the inner peripheral surface of the manual operation space 215c, and an upper stem 205 having one end which engages with the engaging end of the lower stem 206 and the other end which protrudes from the manual operation space 215c and engages with the operating handle 204, and an abutment portion 262 which is the non-engagement side end of the lower stem 206 presses the piston 211 toward the diaphragm 208.

[0078] The abutting portion 262 of the lower stem 206 may be configured to directly press against the end face of the working fluid introduction shaft 211c by forming a seal between it and the central through-hole 215a. However, in this embodiment, a pressing body 214 having a seal on its circumferential surface is disposed between the lower stem 206 and the piston 211. The pressing body 214 has a chamfered circumferential end surface that contacts the end face of the working fluid introduction shaft 211c. By chamfering the circumferential surface, the working fluid introduced into the communication hole 215d can push the pressing body 214 toward the lower stem 206, allowing the working fluid to be smoothly introduced into the internal flow path 211. Alternatively, instead of chamfering the circumferential surface, a groove passing through the center may be formed on the end surface.

[0079] The engagement portion between the upper stem 205 and the lower stem 206 has a pair of arc-shaped sectorial contact portions 260, 260 formed on one end face, i.e., the lower stem 206 in this embodiment, and a protrusion 250 formed on the other end face, i.e., the upper stem 205 in this embodiment, having a pair of substantially sectorially shaped notches 250b, 250b whose arc length is longer than the arc length of the sectorial contact portion 260, and upright surfaces 250a, 250a that come into surface contact with the flat side surfaces 260a, 260a of the sectorial contact portion 260. When the sectorial contact portion 260 and the protrusion 250 are both sector-shaped as shown in FIG. 17(b), a predetermined gap must be provided at the center to allow passage of the other. Furthermore, it is preferable that the central side of the arc-shaped sectorial contact portion 260 also has an arc-shaped surface 260b (see FIG. 17(a1)). The difference between the arc length of the cutout portion 250b and the arc length of the sector-shaped contact portion 260 is the allowance, which is set to 20° in this embodiment.

[0080] As described above, the upper stem 205 has a protrusion 250 formed at one end for engaging with the lower stem 206, and the other end is inserted into a hole 242 in the operating handle 204 (described later) and is biased toward the lower stem 206 by a biasing means such as a spring between the upper stem 205 and the top surface of the hole 242. The upper stem 205 also has a flat surface that abuts against the flat surface 242a of the hole 242, so that rotation of the operating handle 204 is transmitted to the upper stem 205. This flat surface may be formed directly on the upper stem 205, as shown in FIG. 18, or, as shown in FIG. 14, a cylindrical engagement piece 255 (see FIG. 16(c)) may be inserted into the upper stem 205 and fixed with a setscrew. By using the engagement piece 255, the rotational position of the operating handle 204 can be adjusted as desired.

[0081] As described above, lower stem 206 has at one end a sector-shaped abutment portion 260 that engages with upper stem 205, and at the other end abutment portion 262 that abuts against pressing body 214 interposed between lower stem 206 and diaphragm presser 207. As described above, by forming a seal structure between lower stem 206 and central through-hole 215a, abutment portion 262 may be configured to directly press against the end face of working fluid introducing shaft 211c. In addition, a male thread portion 261 that screws into female thread portion 215e formed on the inner surface of engaging cylindrical portion 215A of intermediate body 215 is formed on the circumferential surface of lower stem 206, and when upper stem 205 is rotated by operating handle 204, it moves up and down a distance corresponding to the thread pitch. This presses the diaphragm retainer 7 toward the diaphragm 8, causing the diaphragm 208 to come into contact with the valve seat 221 and block the flow of fluid. When the lower stem 206 rises, the pressure on the diaphragm 208 by the diaphragm retainer 207 is released, and the self-restoring force of the diaphragm 208 and the fluid pressure in the inflow path 220A move the diaphragm 8 away from the valve seat 221, allowing the flow of fluid.

[0082] Valve body 202 shows an example of a valve to be installed in an accumulation system, and shows an example in which the open ends of inlet channel 220A and outlet channel 220B are formed on the lower surface, but of course it is not limited to this. In addition, a recess for fixing bonnet 203 is formed on the upper surface side, and a female thread portion 222 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess to be threaded with a male thread portion 230 formed on the outer peripheral surface of bonnet 203.

[0083] The hollow bonnet 203 has a male thread 230 formed on the outer peripheral surface at one end thereof, which screws into a female thread 222 formed on the inner peripheral surface of a recess in the valve body 202. The outer peripheral edge of this one end presses against an annular diaphragm fixing member 232 that abuts against the peripheral edge of the diaphragm 208, thereby fixing the diaphragm 208 to the valve body 202. Note that the diaphragm fixing member 232 may be omitted, and the end of the bonnet 203 may directly press and fix the diaphragm 208.

[0084] Furthermore, the other end of the bonnet 203 is formed with a female thread portion 233 into which the male thread portion 215f of the intermediate body 215 described above is threaded, thereby fixing the bonnet 203 and the intermediate body 215. The relationship between the male thread and the female thread may be reversed, and the cylinder 212 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bonnet 203 in the illustrated example may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate body 215, and a so-called normally open type may be configured in which the pressing member 213 biases the piston 211 in a direction away from the diaphragm 208.

[0085] <Rotating body> The rotor 216 is a hollow cylinder coaxial with the intermediate body 215, and has a working fluid inlet hole 216a formed on its circumferential surface for introducing the working fluid. The rotor 216 is provided with an inner diameter portion 216b fitted into an engaging cylindrical portion 215A of the intermediate body 215. Seal members, such as O-rings, are disposed axially above and below the rotor 216 and the intermediate body 215 to prevent the working fluid supplied from the working fluid inlet hole 16a from leaking to the outside. In the illustrated example, the rotor 216 has a stepped inner diameter to match the large diameter portion of the intermediate body 215, but the shape is not particularly limited, and the stepped shape is not necessary as long as there is sufficient space to install a seal member that prevents the working fluid from leaking to the outside.

[0086] A working fluid introduction hole 216a formed on the circumferential surface of the rotor 216 is provided with a structure for attaching a pipe that connects to a working fluid supply source, such as a female thread portion or a female portion of a one-touch joint.

[0087] The tip of the engaging cylindrical portion 215A protrudes from the rotor 216, and has an indicator 209 fixed thereto. The indicator 209 has a circumferential groove 290a and axial grooves 290b and 290c formed on its peripheral surface to guide a guide 243 of the operating handle 204, which will be described later. The characters [OPEN] and [CLOSE] are printed on the top surface of the indicator 209, and the open / closed state of the valve 201 can be seen through a window 245 in the operating handle. For this reason, the indicator 209 is rotatable relative to the bonnet 203 and can be fixed at any position with a setscrew, so that the printed characters are displayed correctly when the valve is open or closed.

[0088] The operating handle 204 is made of resin and includes an operating portion 240 having an internal engagement portion for the upper stem 205 and a cylindrical portion 241 that covers the bonnet 203, but is not limited to being made of resin. The operating portion 240 has a cylindrical insertion opening 244 through which a stopper is inserted. The internal engagement portion is an engagement hole 242 through which one end of the upper stem 205 is inserted, and a flat engagement portion 242a is formed in part corresponding to the flat portion formed on the cylindrical end of the upper stem 205. The inner surface of the cylindrical portion 241 is formed with a protruding guide 243 that engages with a groove 290 of the cylindrical indicator 9 fixed to the bonnet 203. As shown in FIG. 15(b), this guide 243 has an engagement surface 243a that protrudes inward at the top, and its inner surface is chamfered to form a downwardly inclined surface 243b.

[0089] The operating handle 204 is constantly urged by the urging means 210 in a direction that disengages the operating handle 204 from the upper stem 205, but the guide 243 engages with the upper surface of the circumferential groove 290a of the groove portion 290 or the upper top surface of the axial groove 290b, so that the engagement between the operating handle 204 and the upper stem 205 is not disengaged. Also, a window portion 245 is formed in an appropriate position of the operating handle 204 (above the guide 243 in this embodiment), and is configured so that the characters written on the top surface of the indicator 209 described above can be seen from outside.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 16(b), the groove portion 290 of the indicator 209 has a circumferential groove 290a formed on the lower end side of the indicator 209 and axial grooves 290b, 290c formed on both ends of the circumferential groove 290a and extending toward the upper end side. The axial grooves along which the guide 243 moves axially when the valve is fully closed or fully open include the axial groove 290b for the fully closed position and the axial groove 290c for the fully open position, each of which has a top surface that restricts the upward movement of the guide 243. This top surface engages with the engagement surface 243a of the guide 243 to serve as a stopper. The axial groove 290d, which does not have a top surface and is located between the axial grooves 290b, 290c, is the axial groove through which the guide 243 passes when the operating handle 204 is attached. The width of this axial groove is narrower than the other axial grooves and is only slightly wider than the width of the guide 243. The groove is shallow, and the operating handle is attached while being elastically deformed, thereby preventing the operating handle 204 from falling off during normal operation.

[0091] The valve 201 has a diaphragm retainer 207 disposed inside the bonnet 203, and the bonnet 203 is screwed onto the valve body 202 with the diaphragm 208 and diaphragm fixing member 232 placed on the valve seat 221 of the valve body 202. The piston 211 and pressing member 213 are then attached to the bonnet 203, and the intermediate body 215 is screwed onto the bonnet 203 to secure it. A pressing body 214 is disposed in the central through-hole 215a, and the lower stem 206 is screwed onto the intermediate body 215. Because the hybrid valve 201 shown in the figure is a normally closed type, with the pressing member 213 disposed and the intermediate body 215 fixed to the bonnet 203, the diaphragm retainer 7 presses the diaphragm 208 toward the seat 221. In this state, the stem is rotated 45° from the fully open position to the closed position. Thereafter, the rotational positions of indicator 209 and engagement piece 255 are adjusted, and rotor 216 is fitted into engagement cylindrical portion 215A of intermediate body 215. Retaining ring 218 is engaged in a groove formed near the end of engagement cylindrical portion 215A to prevent it from falling off. A washer or the like is interposed between retaining ring 218 and the end face of rotor 216. In particular, it is preferable to select a material with high slidability and a low coefficient of friction for the surface of this washer to enable smooth rotation of rotor 216.

[0092] If the operating handle 204 is attached so that the flat surface 242a of the hole 242 is aligned with the flat surface of the upper stem 205 (flat surface 255a of the engagement piece 255), the guide 243 of the operating handle 204 can be attached along the axial mounting groove 290d of the axial grooves of the indicator 209. When the guide 243 reaches the circumferential groove 290a, the operating handle 204 is rotated to the fully closed or fully open position, and the assembly of the hybrid valve 201 is completed.

[0093] In the hybrid valve 201 configured as described above, the rotor 216 is coaxial with the intermediate body 215, and the working fluid inlet hole 216a can be oriented to any position around the circumference within 360°. This allows for easy piping connection to the working fluid supply source, even when used in an integrated gas system densely configured with fluid control devices including valves.

[0094] Next, the rotational movement of the hybrid valve 201 during manual operation will be described.

[0095] First, the engagement portion between upper stem 205 and lower stem 206 starts from a position rotated 10° clockwise from Fig. 17(c1) (valve fully closed state). First, operating handle 204 is pushed in against biasing means 210 and rotated 10° counterclockwise from Fig. 17(c1) (20° from the initial state). During this time, upper stem 205 rotates together with operating handle 204, but no force in the rotational direction is applied to lower stem 206, and lower stem 206 does not rotate or move up or down. Due to this play, even if the operating handle 204 is rotated slightly due to the operator's body bumping into it or vibrations occurring when the guide 243 is out of the axial grooves 290b, 290c and not during opening or closing operations, the lower stem 206 will not rotate, and the relative positions of the diaphragm 208 and the valve seat 221 will not change, preventing the working fluid from unexpectedly flowing or being blocked.

[0096] Next, in the state shown in Figure 17(c2), the erected surface 250a of the protrusion 250 of the upper stem 205 comes into contact with the flat side surface 260a of the fan-shaped abutment portion 260 of the lower stem 206. At this time, the engagement between the upper stem 205 and the lower stem 206 is surface contact, and the reaction force that the erected surface 250a receives from the flat side surface 260a when the upper stem 205 is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in Figure 17(c2) is dispersed over the entire surface and is smaller than in the case of line contact. Therefore, operation using the operating handle 204 is smooth, and the operator does not feel any play in the rotation.

[0097] 17(c2) counterclockwise by 90°, the lower stem 6 also rotates 90°. As a result, the male thread portion 261 of the lower stem 206, which is threaded into the female thread portion 215e formed on the inner surface of the engaging cylindrical portion 215A of the intermediate body 215, moves upward by the pitch of the 90° rotation, and the abutment portion 262 moves away from the diaphragm presser 207. Then, the self-restoring force of the diaphragm 208 and the fluid pressure in the inflow path 220A cause the diaphragm 208 to move away from the valve seat 221, entering a fully open state.

[0098] <Embodiment 6> 18 shows a hybrid valve 201A according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this hybrid valve 201A, the male thread that threads together the other end side (opposite the body side) of the bonnet 203 and the bonnet of the intermediate body 215 is reversed from that in the fifth embodiment, and the cylinder 212 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bonnet 203 shown in FIG. 14 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate body 215, and the piston 211 is biased in a direction away from the diaphragm 208 by a pressing member 213, which is a so-called normally open hybrid valve. A pressing means accommodating space 215b of the intermediate body 215 constitutes an accommodating space for the pressing member 213 together with the internal space of the bonnet 203, and the peripheral surface constitutes the cylinder 212.

[0099] Other configurations are the same as those of embodiment 5, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The waste filter valve 201A of this embodiment can be configured using the same parts as the hybrid valve 201 of embodiment 5, except for the bonnet 203, cylinder 211, intermediate body 215, and pressing means 213. The spring serving as the pressing means 213 can also be the same part by adjusting the axial length of the pressing means storage space 215b.

[0100] The hybrid valve according to the present invention (8) can be easily connected even in a narrow space where the work of connecting the piping to the working fluid supply source is difficult, and therefore can be suitably used as a hybrid valve for use in a narrow installation space, for example, in an integrated gas system. [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] The valve according to the present invention can effectively prevent unexpected stoppage or outflow of the working fluid, and therefore can be suitably used, for example, as a valve for an integrated gas supply device used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1 valve 2 Valve body 20 fluid flow path 21 Valve seat 3. Bonnet 30 Male thread 31 Female thread 4 Operating handle 42 Engagement hole 42a Flat part 42b Flat part 5 Engagement member 50 Plane section 51 Plane part 6 Stem 61 Male thread 62 Contact part 7 Diaphragm retainer 8 diaphragm 9 Indicators 90 Groove 101 Valve 102 Valve body 120 fluid flow path 121 Valve seat 103 Bonnet 130 Male thread 131 Female thread 104 Operating handle 105 upper stem 150 Protrusion 150a standing surface 106 Lower Stem 160 Fan-shaped contact part 160a flat side 161 Male thread 162 Contact part 107 Diaphragm retainer 108 diaphragm 109 Indicator 190 Groove 201 Valve 211 Piston 212 cylinders 213 Pressing member 214 Pressurized body 215 Intermediates 215A Engagement cylindrical part 215a Center through hole 216 Rotating Body 216a Working fluid inlet 202 valve body 220 Fluid flow path 221 Valve seat 203 Bonnet 230 Female thread 204 Operating handle 205 upper stem 206 Lower Stem 261 Male thread 262 Contact part 207 Diaphragm retainer 208 Diaphragm

Claims

1. a valve body having a fluid flow path and a valve seat disposed in the fluid flow path formed therein; a diaphragm that contacts and separates from the seat surface of the valve seat; a one-piece hollow bonnet that secures the peripheral edge of the diaphragm to the valve body; a diaphragm presser that contacts the diaphragm and presses it toward the valve seat; A hybrid valve including a piston that moves the diaphragm presser in the axial direction by a working fluid or a pressing means, and a stem that moves the piston in the axial direction by manual operation, a piston including a piston body that is in sliding contact with an inner peripheral surface of a cylinder, a pressing shaft that extends from the piston body toward both sides in the axial direction, and a working fluid introducing shaft; a stepped cylindrical intermediate body fixed to the bonnet, the intermediate body having an engagement cylindrical portion on an opposite side to the bonnet that is smaller in diameter than the bonnet fixing side; a rotor having a working fluid inlet hole formed on a peripheral surface thereof fitted to the engaging cylindrical portion, through which a working fluid is introduced; The intermediate body has a central through hole formed therein into which the working fluid introduction shaft is fitted, and a communication hole formed therein that connects the internal flow path of the working fluid introduction shaft to the working fluid introduction hole, forming a hybrid valve.

2. the stem has a male thread formed on its outer surface which is engaged with a female thread formed on the inner surface of a manual operation space formed inside the engagement cylindrical portion, and comprises a lower stem, one end of which presses the piston toward the diaphragm, and an upper stem, one end of which engages with an engagement end formed on the other end of the lower stem, and the other end of which protrudes from the manual operation space and engages with an operating handle; The operating handle includes a cylindrical portion that covers the operating portion and the tip of the engaging cylindrical portion, and a protruding guide is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion to engage with a groove of a cylindrical indicator fixed to the engaging cylindrical portion, The operating handle is constantly biased by a biasing means in a direction that disengages the operating handle from the upper stem, 2. The hybrid valve according to claim 1, wherein the groove portion is formed with a circumferential groove and an axial groove along which the guide moves in the axial direction when the valve is in a fully closed or fully open state.

Images