Foot-operated ball valve

Abstract

To provide a food-operated ball valve capable of being applied to a valve for discharging drain accumulated in an air compressor or air tank with high reliability and good convenience, while offering advantages of a ball valve that is easy to maintain because there is no need to arrange a strainer or filter upstream of the valve.SOLUTION: A foot-operated ball valve for controlling a flow of fluid by depressing a pedal 2 with a foot, comprises: a body 1; the pedal 2 arranged in a swingable manner on the body 1 and biased by a return spring 3; a ball valve 4 arranged inside the body 1; a pinion gear 5 fixed to a shaft 41, which opens and closes the ball valve 4; and a rack gear 6 that meshes with the pinion gear 5, and slides in conjunction with the operation of the pedal 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a foot-operated ball valve that can be applied to a valve for discharging drain accumulated in an air compressor or an air tank.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to discharge the drain accumulated in an air compressor or an air tank, manual ball valves, automatic discharge type float drain traps, electromagnetic traps, electric ball valves in large tanks, etc. have been used.

[0003] Among these, except for ball valves, poppet valves and spool valves are used. However, if solids such as rust and sludge contained in the drain enter these types of valves, there is a risk of jamming or clogging, causing problems. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange a strainer or a filter on the upstream side of the valve to remove solids, and there is a problem that regular maintenance of the strainer and the filter is troublesome.

[0004] On the other hand, a ball valve has the advantage that it does not require troublesome maintenance because it is not necessary to arrange a strainer or a filter on the upstream side of the valve. However, an electric ball valve has a problem that the opening and closing speed is slow, so even after the drain discharge is completed, the valve does not close immediately and wastes air.

[0005] Also, manual ball valves are widely used generally because they are inexpensive and highly reliable. However, since the drain outlet is usually installed at the bottom of the tank, the manual ball valve is also installed near the floor surface, resulting in poor operability, forced operation in an unreasonable posture such as bending, and problems such as dirty hands.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In view of the problems with conventional valves used to discharge condensate accumulated in air compressors and air tanks, the present invention aims to provide a foot-operated ball valve that can be applied to valves used to discharge condensate accumulated in air compressors and air tanks, while enjoying the advantages of ball valves that require little maintenance, as there is no need to place a strainer or filter upstream of the valve, thus providing high reliability and convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the foot-operated ball valve of the present invention is It is a foot-operated valve that controls the flow of fluid by pressing down on the pedal. The main unit and A pedal is pivotably mounted on the main body and is biased by a return spring, The main body contains a ball valve, a pinion gear fixed to the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve, and a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and slides in conjunction with the pedal operation. It is characterized by having the following features.

[0008] In this case, the rack gear can be made to slide in conjunction with the operation of the pedal by inserting a knock pin provided on the rack gear into a through hole formed in a hook bracket provided on the back of the pedal.

[0009] In this case, the amount required to rotate the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve by 90° The sliding distance of the rack gear can be reduced to 10 mm or less.

[0010] Furthermore, a guide plate may be provided to guide the sliding motion of the rack gear. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention provides a foot-operated ball valve that can be applied to a drain valve for air compressors and air tanks, while enjoying the advantages of a ball valve that requires little maintenance, as it does not require a strainer or filter to be placed upstream of the valve. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] An embodiment of the foot-operated ball valve of the present invention is shown, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, and (c) is a rear view. [Figure 2] The initial state of the foot-operated ball valve is shown, with (a) being a plan view, (b) a cross-sectional view from the left side, and (c) a cross-sectional view from the front. [Figure 3] The images show the foot-operated ball valve with the pedal pressed down; (a) is a cross-sectional view from the left side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view from the front. [Figure 4] The enlarged view of the main part of the foot-operated ball valve shows (a) the initial state and (b) the state with the pedal pressed down. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the foot-operated ball valve of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0014] Figures 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the foot-operated ball valve of the present invention. This foot-operated ball valve controls the flow of fluid by pressing the pedal 2, and comprises a main body 1, a pedal 2 that is pivotably mounted on the main body 1 and biased by a return spring 3, a ball valve 4 located inside the main body 1, a pinion gear 5 fixed to a shaft 41 that opens and closes the ball valve 4, and a rack gear 6 that meshes with the pinion gear 5 and slides in conjunction with the operation of the pedal 2.

[0015] The rack gear 6 is configured such that when the pedal 2 is pressed, the rack gear 6 slides downward via the hook bracket 21 and the knock pin 61, and via the pinion gear 5, the shaft 41 of the ball valve 4 rotates 90° in the opening direction. When the pedal 2 is released, the pedal 2 returns to its original position due to the biasing force of the return spring 3, and the rack gear 6 slides upward via the hook bracket 21 and the knock pin 61, and via the pinion gear 5, the shaft 41 of the ball valve 4 rotates 90° in the closing direction. This ensures that the load on the interlocking function remains constant, allowing for stable operation.

[0016] Here, it is preferable that the amount of sliding movement (stroke) of the rack gear 6 required to rotate the shaft 41 that opens and closes the ball valve 4 by 90° (referred to as the "required sliding movement") be 10 mm or less (in this embodiment, the reference circle diameter of the pinion gear 5: φ10 mm, required sliding movement: 7.9 mm). Here, the required sliding travel distance can be adjusted by appropriately setting the gear ratio between the rack gear 6 and the pinion gear 5. This determines the amount of pedal 2 needed to slide the rack gear 6. It can be made smaller, and the height H of the body 1 of the foot-operated ball valve including the pedal 2 can be kept low (specifically, 60 mm or less, preferably 55 mm or less, and in this embodiment, 51.5 mm), so that it can be placed, for example, on the floor surface under an air compressor or air tank.

[0017] The rack gear 6 is provided with a guide plate 7 for guiding the sliding operation. The guide plate 7 includes a first guide plate 71 that supports the back surface of the rack gear 6 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the rack teeth are formed), and a second guide plate 72 that supports the side surface (the surface orthogonal to the surface on which the rack teeth are formed). The first guide plate 71 is made of a metal member such as brass, and a member provided with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin sheet on the sliding contact surface with the rack gear 6 can be used. The second guide plate 72 can use a member made of polyacetal (POM) resin. Thereby, the sliding operation of the rack gear 6 can be smoothly guided.

[0018] A cushion 8 that the pedal 2 abuts against when the pedal 2 is depressed can be provided.

[0019] A rubber grounding plate (not shown) such as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) can be provided on the grounding side of the bottom plate 11 of the main body 1. Thereby, the installation state of the foot-operated ball valve is stabilized, and it is possible to prevent the foot-operated ball valve from moving when the pedal 2 is depressed.

[0020] When this foot-operated ball valve allows fluid to flow, the pedal 2 is depressed, and the rack gear 6 slides downward through the hook bracket 21 and the knock pin 61, and the shaft 41 of the ball valve 4 is rotated 90° in the opening direction through the pinion gear 5, so that the fluid flows through the opened ball valve 4 via the manifold 9. When it is time to stop the fluid flow, the pedal 2 is released, and the biasing force of the return spring 3 causes the pedal 2 to return to its original position. The rack gear 6 slides upward via the hook bracket 21 and knock pin 61, and via the pinion gear 5, the shaft 41 of the ball valve 4 rotates 90° in the closing direction, thereby closing the ball valve 4 and stopping the fluid flow. Furthermore, since this foot-operated ball valve is non-directional, the direction of fluid flow (indicated by "IN" and "OUT" in the diagram) can be reversed.

[0021] The foot-operated ball valve of the present invention has been described above based on its embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and its configuration can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0022] The foot-operated ball valve of the present invention does not require a strainer or filter to be placed upstream of the valve, thus enjoying the advantages of a ball valve that requires little maintenance, while being highly reliable and convenient. Therefore, it can be used in applications such as a valve for discharging condensate accumulated in air compressors and air tanks. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] 1 Main unit 11 Bottom plate 2 pedals 21 Hook Bracket 22 Throughpores 3. Return spring 4 Ball valves 41 axis 5 Pinion Gear 6 Rack Gear 61 knock pins 7 Guide Plate 71 First guide plate 72 Second guide plate 8 cushions 9 Manifold

Claims

1. It is a foot-operated valve that controls the flow of fluid by pressing down on the pedal. The main unit and A pedal is pivotably mounted on the main body and is biased by a return spring, The main body is equipped with a ball valve, a pinion gear fixed to the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve, and a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and slides in conjunction with the operation of the pedal. The rack gear is designed to slide in conjunction with pedal operation by inserting a knock pin, which is attached to the rack gear, into a through-hole formed in a hook bracket on the back of the pedal. A foot-operated ball valve characterized by the following features.

2. It is a foot-operated valve that controls the flow of fluid by pressing down on the pedal. The main unit and A pedal is pivotably mounted on the main body and is biased by a return spring, The main body is equipped with a ball valve, a pinion gear fixed to the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve, and a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and slides in conjunction with the operation of the pedal. The amount of sliding movement of the rack gear required to rotate the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve by 90° is set to 10 mm or less. A foot-operated ball valve characterized by the following features.

3. It is a foot-operated valve that controls the flow of fluid by pressing down on the pedal. The main unit and A pedal is pivotably mounted on the main body and is biased by a return spring, The main body contains a ball valve, a pinion gear fixed to the shaft that opens and closes the ball valve, and a rack gear that meshes with the pinion gear and slides in conjunction with the pedal operation. A rack gear is equipped with a guide plate that guides its sliding motion. A foot-operated ball valve characterized by the following features.

Images