Valve with manual handle

Abstract

The present invention of a valve 1 with a manual handle comprises a handle 10 and a display disk 20 which constitute a display part indicating an open state and a closed state of a valve body 160. A first window part 14 is provided in the form of an opening on an upper surface of the handle 10. A first contact part 16 is provided to the handle 10. A first display 24A and a second display 24B are provided on an upper surface of the display disk 20 and indicate open / closed states of a seat disk 160. A second contact part 23a, capable of making contact with the first contact part 16 before a counterclockwise rotation limit of the handle 10 is reached, and a third contact part 23b, capable of making contact with the first contact part 16 before a clockwise rotation limit of the handle 10 is reached, are provided to the display disk 20. The display disk 20 is held in place by frictional force which is less than the rotational force of the handle 10 transmitted when the first contact part 16 makes contact with either the second contact part 23a or the third contact part 23b.

Description

Valve with manual handle

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve with a manual handle used in, for example, high-pressure gas containers and high-pressure gas facilities, and more particularly to a valve with a manual handle having a configuration for indicating the open and closed states of a valve body.

[0002] For example, in general industry and semiconductor manufacturing processes, high-pressure gas stored in a high-pressure gas container (commonly known as a "cylinder") is used. A valve with a manual handle is directly connected to the neck of the high-pressure gas container. Filling the high-pressure gas container with gas, as well as releasing and shutting off the gas from the high-pressure gas container, are all performed via the valve with a manual handle. When the user rotates the handle, the valve disc in the valve with a manual handle opens or closes, controlling the release / stop of gas from the high-pressure gas container. Some such valves with a manual handle are equipped with a mechanism for displaying the open or closed state of the valve disc.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-280133 (Patent Document 1) describes a valve with a manual handle that has a peephole on the top surface of the handle and a display panel below the handle that displays the words "open" or "closed," so that the words "open" or "closed" can be seen through the peephole.

[0004] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-049582 (Patent Document 2) describes a valve with a manual handle in which a display window that can rotate together with the handle is located below the handle, and an opening / closing display plate that is fixed to the valve body is located below the display window.

[0005] JP-A-7-280133 JP-A-9-049582

[0006] <Problem of Misalignment Between the Window and the Open / Close State Indicator> The handle of a manual handle valve is designed to rotate within a predetermined angular range. Some manual handle valves rotate the handle less than 360° to change the valve body from a closed state to an open state, while others rotate the handle more than 360° to change the valve body from a closed state to an open state. The angle at which the handle can be rotated is designed to be, for example, 180°, 270°, 360°, or 450°. However, slight manufacturing errors may occur between the multiple components that make up an actually manufactured manual handle valve. Due to such manufacturing errors, the handle may be able to rotate beyond the designed angular range. This has led to a problem of misalignment between the window of the rotating handle and the fixed open / close state indicator. The misalignment between the window and the open / close state indicator can occur when the valve body is in both the open and closed states. Such misalignment between the window and the display of the open / closed state makes it impossible to accurately convey to the user the open / closed state of the valve disc, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, causing doubt and anxiety in the user.

[0007] <Problem of the gap between the window and the open / closed state display> As shown in Figure 2 of JP-A-7-280133, a gap is provided between the peephole in the steering wheel and the display board displaying the characters "open" or "closed." This poses a problem in that the "open" or "closed" characters on the display board can only be seen from a direction perpendicular to the peephole, and cannot be seen from an oblique direction relative to the peephole. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 10 and 11 of JP-A-9-049582, if there is no gap between the rotating display member (corresponding to the peephole) and the fixed display member (corresponding to the display board displaying the characters "open" or "closed"), friction occurs between the back surface of the rotating display member and the surface of the fixed display member, causing the "open" or "closed" characters displayed on the surface of the fixed display member to wear away.

[0008] <Problem of versatility> The configurations for indicating the open and closed states of the valve disc described in JP-A-7-280133 and JP-A-9-049582 are designed on the premise of the specific valves illustrated in the respective publications. As a result, there is a problem in that the configurations for indicating the open and closed states of the valve disc described in JP-A-7-280133 and JP-A-9-49582 cannot be applied to other valves with different structures.

[0009] The valve with a manual handle of the present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to achieve the following a) to c): a) To enable the window in the handle to accurately match the display of the open / closed state when the valve disc is in the open or closed state, regardless of the amount of rotation of the handle exceeding a predetermined angle range; b) To enable the angle at which the display of the open / closed state through the window can be seen to be expanded; and c) To enable the structure for displaying the open and closed states of the valve disc to be applied to other valves of different structures.

[0010] (1) In order to achieve the above object, the valve with a manual handle of the present invention is a valve with a manual handle in which a valve body is opened or closed by rotating a handle connected to a spindle, and includes a handle and an indicator disc for constituting an indicator showing the open and closed states of the valve body, the handle and the indicator disc sharing a central axis with the spindle, at least one of the upper surface and the side surface of the handle having a window in the form of at least one of an opening and a notch, and the handle is provided with a first abutment, at least one of the upper surface and the side surface of the indicator disc has an indicator showing the open and closed states of the valve body, and the indicator disc is provided with a second abutment that can abut against the first abutment before the handle reaches its counterclockwise rotation limit and a third abutment that can abut against the first abutment before the handle reaches its clockwise rotation limit, and the indicator disc is held constant by a frictional force that is smaller than the rotational force of the handle transmitted when the first abutment abuts against one of the second abutment and the third abutment.

[0011] (2) Preferably, the valve with a manual handle of (1) above further comprises an elastomer part provided directly below the display disc, and the display disc is held constant by the frictional force generated between the display disc and the elastomer part.

[0012] (3) Preferably, in the valve with a manual handle of (2) above, the elastomer part is an O-ring that shares a central axis with the spindle.

[0013] (4) Preferably, in the valve with a manual handle of (1) above, the center of the handle is provided with a first cylindrical wall portion extending downward from the upper surface of the handle and a first annular bottom portion continuous with the first cylindrical wall portion, the center of the indicator disc is provided with a second cylindrical wall portion extending downward from the upper surface of the indicator disc and a second annular bottom portion continuous with the second cylindrical wall portion, the first abutment portion is provided to protrude downward from the first bottom, the second abutment portion is one end face of a circular arc-shaped convex portion provided to protrude upward from the second bottom, and the third abutment portion is the other end face of the convex portion, the first cylindrical wall portion and the first bottom portion are rotatably accommodated in a space formed by the second cylindrical wall portion and the second bottom portion, the first abutment portion abuts against the second abutment portion before reaching the counterclockwise rotation limit of the handle, and abuts against the third abutment portion before reaching the clockwise rotation limit of the handle.

[0014] (5) Preferably, in the valve with a manual handle described in (4) above, a circular spacer portion is provided in the center of the display disc, protruding upward from the top surface of the display disc to a height of 1 mm or less, and the spacer portion comes into contact with the back surface of the handle, thereby forming a gap of 1 mm or less between the window portion of the handle and the top surface of the display disc.

[0015] (6) Preferably, the valve with a manual handle of (1) above further comprises a base plate, an elastomer part, and a spring provided directly below the display disc, the base plate sharing a central axis with the spindle and having a mounting portion for the elastomer part, the spring being interposed between the display disc and the base plate and exerting an upward biasing force on the display disc, the elastomer part being sandwiched between the display disc and the base plate, and the display disc being held stationary by the frictional force generated between the display disc and the elastomer part.

[0016] (7) Preferably, in the valve with a manual handle of (6) above, a receiving portion having an inner surface corresponding to the hexagonal outer surface of a gland nut that constitutes the valve with a manual handle is provided on the back side of the base plate.

[0017] (8) Preferably, in the valve with a manual handle of (6) above, the base plate is provided with a plurality of through holes corresponding to the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut that constitutes the valve with a manual handle, and a spring pin that abuts against the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut is inserted into each through hole.

[0018] In the valve with a manual handle of the present invention, the indicator disc is held constant relative to the rotatable handle by a predetermined frictional force. When the handle is rotated counterclockwise to open the valve disc, the first abutment of the handle abuts the second abutment of the indicator disc before the handle reaches its counterclockwise rotation limit. At this time, the window of the handle and the indicator on the indicator disc, which indicates the open state of the valve disc, are precisely aligned. The rotational force of the handle is then transmitted to the indicator disc via the first and second abutment portions. Because the rotational force of the handle is greater than the frictional force holding the indicator disc constant, the indicator disc rotates together with the handle in a direction that opens the valve disc. This maintains precise alignment between the window of the handle and the indicator on the indicator disc, which indicates the open state of the valve disc, until the handle stops rotating. On the other hand, when the handle is rotated clockwise to close the valve disc, the first abutment of the handle abuts the third abutment of the indicator disc before the handle reaches its clockwise rotation limit. At this time, the window in the handle and the display on the indicator disc that indicates the closed state of the valve disc are precisely aligned. Thereafter, the rotational force of the handle is transmitted to the indicator disc via the first and third abutment portions. Because the rotational force of the handle is greater than the frictional force that holds the indicator disc stationary, the indicator disc rotates together with the handle in the direction that brings the valve disc into the closed state. This maintains precise alignment between the window in the handle and the display on the indicator disc that indicates the closed state of the valve disc until the handle stops rotating.

[0019] As described above, with the valve with manual handle of the present invention, when the valve body is set to the open or closed state, it is possible to accurately align the window portion of the handle with the display showing the open or closed state of the valve body, regardless of the amount of play in the handle.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a valve with a manual handle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the handle of the valve with a manual handle shown in FIG. 1, with FIG. 2(a) being a plan view showing the handle when the valve disc is in an open state, FIG. 2(b) being a side view showing the handle when the valve disc is in an open state, FIG. 2(c) being a plan view showing the handle when the valve disc is in a closed state, and FIG. 2(d) being a side view showing the handle when the valve disc is in a closed state. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve with a manual handle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows only the handle of the valve with a manual handle shown in FIG. 1, with FIG. 4(a) being a side view showing only the handle, FIG. 4(b) being a plan view showing only the handle, and FIG. 4(c) being a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4(b). FIG. 5 shows only the indicator disk of the valve with a manual handle shown in FIG. 1, with FIG. 5(a) being a plan view showing only the indicator disk, FIG. 5(b) being a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 5(a), and FIG. 5(c) being a side view showing only the indicator disk. FIG. 6 shows the operation of the handle and display disk of the valve with a manual handle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6( a) is a plan view showing the handle and display disk when the valve disc is in a closed state. FIG. 6( b) is a plan view showing the handle and display disk when the handle is rotated 180° in the valve disc opening direction. FIG. 6( c) is a plan view showing the handle and display disk when the handle is rotated 270° in the valve disc opening direction. FIG. 6( d) is a plan view showing the handle and display disk when the handle is rotated another 15° in the valve disc opening direction from the state shown in FIG. 6( c). FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle according to a second embodiment, to which the configuration for displaying the open and closed states of the valve disc in FIG. 3 is applied. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle according to a third embodiment, to which the configuration for displaying the open and closed states of the valve disc in FIG. 3 is applied. FIG. 9( a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle according to a fourth embodiment, to which the configuration for displaying the open and closed states of the valve disc in FIG. 3 is applied. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

[0021] Hereinafter, a valve with a manual handle according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] 1. Overview of the Valve with Manual Handle Fig. 1 shows the appearance of the valve with manual handle 1 according to this embodiment. Figs. 2(a) to 2(d) show the appearance of the handle 10 of the valve with manual handle 1. Fig. 3 shows the internal structure of the valve with manual handle 1. The valve with manual handle 1 of this embodiment is connected directly to the neck of a high-pressure gas container (not shown), for example. Here, the basic configuration of the valve with manual handle 1 will be described.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the valve with a manual handle 1 of this embodiment includes a valve body 110, a handle 10, a spindle 120, a gland nut 130, a diaphragm 140, a seating stem 150, a seat disc (valve body) 160, a safety plug 170, and a check valve adapter 180.

[0024] 1.1 Valve Body The valve body 110 is made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel. A hollow section 111 with a circular cross section and varying diameters is provided in approximately the upper half of the interior of the valve body 110. This hollow section 111 accommodates a spindle 120, a gland nut 130, a diaphragm 140, a seating stem 150, and a seat disc 160. A gas inlet channel 112 is provided in approximately the lower half of the interior of the valve body 110. The gas inlet channel 112 communicates with the hollow section 111 approximately at the center of the valve body 110. A valve seat 113 is provided within the hollow section 111 of the valve body 110 at the opening of the upper end of the gas inlet channel 112. A male thread 114 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the valve body 110. This male thread 114 is threadedly engaged with, for example, the neck of a high-pressure gas cylinder (not shown).

[0025] 1.2 Spindle The spindle 120 is made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel. An external thread is provided at the upper end of the spindle 120. The handle 10 is fixed to approximately the upper half of the spindle 120 by fastening a nut to this external thread.

[0026] The lower half of the spindle 120 has a larger diameter than the upper half. A male thread is provided on the outer periphery of the lower half. This male thread is threaded into the female thread of the gland nut 130. When the handle 10 is rotated clockwise in the state shown in FIG. 3 (the open state of the seat disc 160), the spindle 120 moves linearly in the downward direction in FIG. 3 (i.e., in the direction in which the seat disc 160 closes) according to the pitch of the thread. On the other hand, when the handle 10 is rotated counterclockwise, the spindle 120 moves linearly in the upward direction in FIG. 3 (i.e., in the direction in which the seat disc 160 opens) according to the pitch of the thread.

[0027] The end face of the lower end of the spindle 120 forms a convex curved surface 121. This convex curved surface 121 abuts against the upper surface of the diaphragm 140, which is sandwiched between the gland nut 130 and the valve body 110. The linear motion of the spindle 120 is transmitted to a seating stem 150 incorporated in the hollow portion 111 of the valve body 110 through slight surface contact between the convex curved surface 121 at the lower end and the upper surface of the diaphragm 140.

[0028] 1.3 Gland Nut The gland nut 40 is made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel. The gland nut 130 is threaded onto an internal thread provided on the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the hollow portion 111 of the valve body 110. The gland nut 130 has a hexagonal outer surface so that the gland nut 130 can be threaded onto the valve body 110 using a tool. The gland nut 130 seals the hollow portion 111 of the valve body 110 and rotatably supports the spindle 120. When the gland nut 130 is threaded onto the valve body 110, its annular lower end surface clamps the diaphragm 140.

[0029] 1.4 Diaphragm The diaphragm 140 is composed of multiple thin metal plates stacked at the top, center, and bottom. The top and bottom thin metal plates that make up the diaphragm 140 are made of, for example, stainless steel, and the center thin metal plate is made of, for example, spring phosphor bronze. This diaphragm 140 transmits the linear motion of the spindle 120 to the seating stem 150 and seals the hollow portion 111 of the valve body 110 to form a closed valve chamber.

[0030] 1.5 Seating Stem The seating stem 150 is made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel. Within the hollow portion 111 of the valve body 110, the seating stem 150 is inserted through an annular spring seat 151 and a spring 152. The spring 152 is held on the outer periphery of the seating stem 150 by an annular spring retainer 153 fixed to the upper portion of the seating stem 150. The spring 152 exerts an upward biasing force on the seating stem 150 via the spring retainer 153.

[0031] The end face of the upper end of the seating stem 150 forms a convex curved surface 154. This convex curved surface 154 abuts against the underside of the diaphragm 140, which is sandwiched between the gland nut 130 and the valve body 110. Meanwhile, a seat disc 160 is crimped and fixed to the lower end of the seating stem 150. The linear motion of the spindle 120 is transmitted to the seating stem 150 through slight surface contact between the diaphragm 140 and the convex curved surface 154. This causes the seating stem 150 to move linearly upward or downward, and the seat disc 160 moves away from or contacts the valve seat 113. In other words, the seat disc 160 opens or closes the gas inlet path 112.

[0032] 1.6 Seat Disk The seat disk 160 controls the flow of gas by opening or closing the gas inlet passage 112 of the valve body 110. The seat disk 160 is made of a resin material that has excellent airtightness and does not easily deform even after years of use. The seat disk 160 is made of PA66, for example.

[0033] 2. Structure for Indicating the Open and Closed States of the Seat Disc The valve with a manual handle 1 of this embodiment has a structure for indicating the open and closed states of the seat disc 160. This structure is embodied by the handle 10, the display disc 20, the base plate 30, the O-ring (elastomer part) 40, and the spring 50. The structure for indicating the open and closed states of the seat disc 160 will be described in detail below.

[0034] 2.1 Handle Figures 4(a) to 4(c) show only the handle 10 of the manual handle valve 1. The handle 10 is cast, for example, from an aluminum alloy. The handle 10 has a first cylindrical wall portion 11 extending downward from its upper surface at its center, and a circular first bottom portion 12 continuous with the first cylindrical wall portion 11. A bearing portion 13 having a rectangular hole is provided at the center of the first bottom portion 12. The shape of the rectangular hole of the bearing portion 13 matches the outline of approximately the upper half of the spindle 120. As shown in Figure 3, the handle 10 is secured with a nut, with approximately the upper half of the spindle 120 inserted into the rectangular hole of the bearing portion 13. The handle 10 and the spindle 120 share a central axis.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4(b) and (c), a first window 14 is provided on the top surface of the handle 10. The first window 14 is a generally oval opening. Meanwhile, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (c), a second window 15 is provided on the side surface of the handle 10. The second window 15 is a generally rectangular cutout. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(a) to (c), a first abutment 16 that protrudes downward is provided on the back surface of the first bottom 12 of the handle 10. The first abutment 16 is a protrusion whose end surface is chamfered to have a circular cross section, and is located at the center of each of the first window 14 and the second window 15.

[0036] 2.2 Indicator Disc Figures 5(a) to 5(c) show only the indicator disc 20 of the valve with manual handle 1. The indicator disc 20 is molded from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate. The center of the indicator disc 20 is provided with a second cylindrical wall portion 21 extending downward from the top surface of the indicator disc 20, and an annular second bottom portion 22 continuous with the second cylindrical wall portion 21. As shown in Figure 3, the inner diameter of the second cylindrical wall portion 21 of the indicator disc 20 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the first cylindrical wall portion 11 of the handle 10. This allows the handle 10 to be rotated alone with the first cylindrical wall portion 11 of the handle 10 inserted inside the second cylindrical wall portion 21 of the indicator disc 20.

[0037] As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), a spacer portion 21a, which is a minute annular protrusion, is provided in the center of the upper surface of the display disc 20 along the inner periphery of the second cylindrical wall portion 21. In this embodiment, the spacer portion 21a has a height of 0.5 mm and a width of 0.9 mm. As shown in Figure 3, the upper surface of the spacer portion 21a, which has a width of 0.9 mm, comes into contact with the back surface of the handle 10 inserted inside the second cylindrical wall portion 21 of the display disc 20, thereby forming a gap of 0.5 mm between the first window portion 14 of the handle 10 and the upper surface of the display disc 20.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, an arc-shaped protrusion 23 protruding upward is provided on the upper surface of the annular second bottom portion 22 of the display disc 20. In this embodiment, the arc-shaped protrusion 23 is provided on the upper surface of the annular second bottom portion 22 in the range of approximately 0° to 90° in FIG. 5A. One end surface of the protrusion 23 located at approximately 0° forms a second abutment portion 23a that can abut against the left half of the side surface of the first abutment surface 16 of the handle 10 shown in FIG. 4B. Meanwhile, the other end surface of the protrusion 23 located at approximately 90° forms a third abutment portion 23b that can abut against the left half of the side surface of the first abutment surface 16 of the handle 10 shown in FIG. 4B. The second abutment portion 23a has a curved surface that corresponds to the left half of the side surface of the first abutment surface 16 of the handle 10. On the other hand, the third contact portion 23 b has a curved surface that corresponds to the right half of the side surface of the first contact surface 16 of the handle 10 .

[0039] 5(a) and 5(c), a first indicia 24A consisting of the word "OPEN" and a second indicia 24B consisting of the word "CLOSE" are displayed on the annular top surface of the display disc 20. Meanwhile, a third indicia 24C consisting of the word "OPEN" and a fourth indicia 24D consisting of the word "CLOSE" are displayed on the cylindrical side surface of the display disc 20. The first to fourth indicia 24A to 24D and their background colors 24a to 24d may be printed directly on the top and side surfaces of the display disc 20, for example. Alternatively, sheets or films on which the first to fourth indicia 24A to 24D and their background colors 24a to 24d are printed may be attached to the top and side surfaces of the display disc 20.

[0040] Furthermore, it is preferable that the background color 24a of the first display 24A and the background color 24b of the second display 24B are different colors. Similarly, it is preferable that the background color 24c of the third display 24C and the background color 24d of the fourth display 24D are different colors. For example, the background colors 24a, 24c of the word "OPEN" in the first display 24A and the third display 24C are green. On the other hand, the background colors 24b, 24d of the word "CLOSE" in the second display 24B and the fourth display 24D are red.

[0041] 5A, on the annular upper surface of the display disc 20, the center of the letters "OPEN" as the first indicia 24A is arranged to correspond to the second abutment portion 23a of the protrusion 23. Also, the center of the letters "CLOSE" as the second indicia 24B is arranged to correspond to the third abutment portion 23b of the protrusion 23. Although not shown, on the cylindrical side surface of the display disc 20, the center of the letters "OPEN" as the third indicia 24C is arranged to correspond to the second abutment portion 23a of the protrusion 23. Also, the center of the letters "CLOSE" as the fourth indicia 24D is arranged to correspond to the third abutment portion 23b of the protrusion 23.

[0042] With the above configuration, when the first contact portion 16 of the steering wheel 10 contacts one of the second contact portion 23a and the third contact portion 23b of the protrusion 23 of the indicator disc 20, the center of the word "OPEN" in the first indicator 24A of the indicator disc 20 exactly coincides with the center of the first window 14 of the steering wheel 10 (see FIG. 2(a)), and the center of the word "CLOSE" in the second indicator 24B of the indicator disc 20 also exactly coincides with the center of the first window 14 of the steering wheel 10 (see FIG. 2(c)). At this time, the center of the word "OPEN" in the third indicator 24C of the indicator disc 20 exactly coincides with the center of the second window 15 of the steering wheel 10 (see FIG. 2(b)), and the center of the word "CLOSE" in the fourth indicator 24D of the indicator disc 20 also exactly coincides with the center of the second window 15 of the steering wheel 10 (see FIG. 2(d)).

[0043] 2.3 Base Plate, O-Ring, and Spring As shown in FIG. 3, a base plate 30, an O-ring 40, and a spring 50 are provided directly below the display disc 20. The base plate 30 is molded from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate. The base plate 30 may also be formed from a metal material such as brass or stainless steel. The O-ring 40 is formed from a viscoelastic elastomer such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EDPM). The spring 50 is formed from a metal material such as stainless steel.

[0044] The base plate 30 includes a main body 31, a step portion 32, and a receiving portion 33. In this embodiment, the main body 31 is an annular plate having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the display disc 20. An annular wall portion protruding upward along the inner periphery of the main body 31 is provided at the center of the surface of the main body 31. An annular step portion 32 is provided along the outer periphery of the annular wall portion. The receiving portion 33 is provided on the back surface of the main body 31. The receiving portion 33 is composed of a hexagonal wall portion that shares a central axis with the main body 31. The hexagonal inner surface of the receiving portion 33 has dimensions corresponding to the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut 130. The hexagonal gland nut 130 is accommodated in the hexagonal receiving portion 33, thereby preventing the base plate 30 from rotating when the handle 10 is rotated.

[0045] The O-ring 40 is attached to the step 32 of the base plate 30 and is sandwiched between the display disc 20 and the base plate 30. This O-ring 40 generates a frictional force against the display disc 20, holding the display disc 20 in a fixed position. Meanwhile, the spring 50 is interposed between the display disc 20 and the base plate 30 and applies an upward biasing force to the display disc 20. The biasing force of the spring 50 constantly presses the tiny spacer 21a of the display disc 20 against the rear surface of the handle 10. As a result, no gap exceeding 0.5 mm in height of the spacer 21a is formed between the first window 14 of the handle 10 and the top surface of the display disc 20, improving the visibility of the first and second indicators 24A, 24B through the first window 14.

[0046] 3. Operation of the Handle and Display Disk Next, the operation of the handle 10 and display disk 20 described above will be explained with reference to Figures 2(a) to 2(d) and 6(a) to 6(d). Note that in the following explanation of operation, it is assumed that the valve with manual handle 1 of this embodiment is designed so that the handle 10 rotates within a range of 0° to 270°. The O-ring 40 and seat disk 160 used in the following explanation of operation are shown in Figure 3.

[0047] 2(c) and (d) show the appearance of the handle 10 and the display disc 20 when the seat disc 160 is in the closed state. On the other hand, in FIG. 6(a), the handle 10 in FIG. 2(c) is drawn with a chain line, and the structural relationship between the handle 10 and the display disc 20 is shown.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 6(a), when the seat disc 160 is in the closed state, the first contact portion 16 of the handle 10 contacts the third contact portion 23b of the indicator disc 20. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2(c), the center of the word "CLOSE" in the second indication 24B of the indicator disc 20 is aligned exactly with the center of the first window 14 of the handle 10. At this time, as shown in Fig. 2(d), the center of the word "CLOSE" in the fourth indication 24D of the indicator disc 20 is also aligned exactly with the center of the second window 15 of the handle 10.

[0049] Next, to open the seat disc 160, the handle 10 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 6B. As the handle 10 rotates counterclockwise, the first contact portion 16 of the handle 10 moves away from the third contact portion 23b of the display disc 20. At this time, the handle 10 rotates counterclockwise independently. The display disc 20 is held in the same position as in FIG. 6A by the frictional force of the O-ring 40 shown in FIG. 3.

[0050] 6(c), when the handle 10 is rotated counterclockwise by 270°, the seat disc 160 is opened. At this time, the first contact portion 16 of the handle 10 comes into contact with the second contact portion 23a of the display disc 20.

[0051] Here, the manual handle valve 1 of this embodiment is designed so that the handle 10 rotates within a range of 0° to 270°. However, as shown in FIG. 6(d), due to manufacturing tolerances between components, the handle 10 rotates slightly counterclockwise beyond 270° (for example, 15°). At this time, the rotational force of the handle 10 is transmitted to the display disc 20 via the second abutment portion 23a, which abuts against the first abutment portion 16. Because the frictional force of the O-ring 40 that holds the display disc 20 is smaller than the rotational force of the handle 10, the display disc 20 rotates slightly counterclockwise together with the handle 10. The handle 10 then reaches its counterclockwise rotation limit and stops rotating together with the display disc 20.

[0052] The handle 10 rotates beyond 270°, which is a predetermined angle range, until the seat disc 160 reaches the open state shown in Fig. 6(d). However, after 270° shown in Fig. 6(c), the first contact portion 16 of the handle 10 rotates while contacting the second contact portion 23a of the display disc 20. Therefore, the center of the first window 14 of the handle 10 exactly coincides with the center of the word "OPEN" which is the first display 24A of the display disc 20 (see Fig. 2(a)). Similarly, the center of the second window 15 of the handle 10 also exactly coincides with the center of the word "OPEN" which is the third display 24C of the display disc 20 (see Fig. 2(b)).

[0053] The above has described the operation of the handle 10 and the display disc 20 when the seat disc 160 is changed from the closed state shown in Figure 6(a) to the open state shown in Figure 6(d), but the same applies to the operation of the handle 10 and the display disc 20 when the seat disc 160 is changed from the open state shown in Figure 6(d) to the open state shown in Figure 6(a). Whether the handle 10 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, when the handle 10 is rotated beyond 0° to 270°, the first abutment portion 16 of the handle 10 abuts the second abutment portion 23a or the third abutment portion 23b of the display disc 20, and the center of the first window portion 14 exactly coincides with the center of the first or second display 24A, 24B, and the center of the second window portion 15 exactly coincides with the center of the third or fourth display 24C, 24D.

[0054] 4. Application to Other Valves of Different Structures As described above, in the valve with a manual handle 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 3, the handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 constitute a display unit for displaying the open and closed states of the seat disc 160. The display unit formed by the handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 can be applied to other valves of different structure from the valve 1 shown in Figure 3.

[0055] 4.1 Second Embodiment Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The valve with a manual handle 2 shown in Figure 7 includes the same handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 as those shown in Figure 3. In Figure 7, cross sections of the main components are indicated by hatching, and cross sections of other components are not indicated by hatching.

[0056] The valve with a manual handle 2 shown in Figure 7 differs from the valve with a manual handle 1 shown in Figure 3 in that the components shown without hatching are different. However, the hexagonal shape of the gland nut 131 of the valve with a manual handle 2 shown in Figure 7 is smaller than the hexagonal shape of the gland nut 130 of the valve with a manual handle 1 shown in Figure 3, and has dimensions that fit within the receiving portion 33 of the base plate 30. Therefore, the handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 that are the same as those shown in Figure 3 can be applied directly to the valve 2 shown in Figure 7.

[0057] 4.2 Third Embodiment Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle 3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The valve with a manual handle 3 shown in Figure 8 includes the same handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 as those shown in Figure 3. In Figure 8, cross sections of the main components are indicated by hatching, and cross sections of other components are not indicated by hatching.

[0058] The valve with a manual handle 3 shown in Figure 8 differs from the valve with a manual handle 1 shown in Figure 3 in that the components shown without hatching are different. However, the hexagonal shape of the gland nut 132 of the valve with a manual handle 2 shown in Figure 8 is also smaller than the hexagonal shape of the gland nut 130 of the valve with a manual handle 1 shown in Figure 3, and has dimensions that fit within the receiving portion 33 of the base plate 30. Therefore, the handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 that are the same as those shown in Figure 3 can be applied directly to the valve 3 shown in Figure 8.

[0059] 4.3 Fourth Embodiment Figure 9(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a valve with a manual handle 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Figure 9(a). The valve with a manual handle 4 shown in Figures 9(a) and (b) includes the same handle 10, indicator disc 20, O-ring 40, and spring 50 as those shown in Figure 3. The base plate 30 is slightly modified depending on the shape of the gland nut 133. In Figure 9(a), cross sections of the main components are hatched, and cross sections of other components are not hatched.

[0060] The valve with a manual handle 4 shown in Fig. 9(a) differs from the valve with a manual handle 1 shown in Fig. 3 in that the components where hatching is omitted are different. Furthermore, the hexagonal shape of the gland nut 133 of the valve with a manual handle 4 shown in Fig. 9(a) is located in a position where it cannot fit within the receiving portion 33 of the base plate 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, three through holes 31a are formed at equal intervals in the annular main body 31 of the base plate 30, and a spring pin 34 is inserted into each of the three through holes 31a.

[0061] The three through holes 31a in the base plate 30 are located at positions corresponding to three of the six faces that make up the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut 133. The spring pin 34 has a C-shaped cross section, which generates an outward biasing force on the spring pin 34. As shown in FIG. 9(b) , the lower ends of the three spring pins 34 press against three of the six faces that make up the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut 133. This prevents the base plate 30 from rotating, and the base plate 30 does not rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the handle 10. By slightly modifying the base plate 30, the handle 10, display disc 20, base plate 30, O-ring 40, and spring 50 shown in FIG. 3 can be applied to the valve 4 shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) .

[0062] 5. Effects In the manual handle-equipped valves 1 to 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments, when the handle 10 is rotated beyond a predetermined angle range (e.g., 0° to 270°), the first abutment portion 16 of the handle 10 abuts against one of the second or third abutment portions 23a, 23b of the display disc 20, and the centers of the windows 14, 15 of the handle 10 are accurately aligned with the centers of the open / closed state displays 24A to 24D of the display disc 20 until the rotation of the handle 10 stops. This accurate alignment of the windows 14, 15 with the open / closed state displays 24A to 24D accurately conveys the open / closed state of the seat disc 160 to the user, which is not visible to the naked eye, and allows the user to intuitively grasp the open / closed state of the seat disc 160.

[0063] The valves 1 to 4 with manual handles according to the first to fourth embodiments are configured such that a circular spacer portion 21a, each having a height and width of less than 1 mm, protrudes from the top surface of the display disc 20. The minute spacer 21a of the display disc 20 is constantly pressed against the back surface of the handle 10 by the biasing force of a spring 50. This prevents a gap exceeding 0.5 mm in height of the spacer 21a from occurring between the first window portion 14 of the handle 10 and the top surface of the display disc 20, improving the visibility of the first and second indices 24A, 24B through the first window portion 14. In other words, the first and second indices 24A, 24B can be clearly seen not only from the vertical direction of the first window portion 14 but also from 360° oblique directions of the first window portion 14.

[0064] The valves 1 to 4 with manual handles according to the first to fourth embodiments each include a base plate 30 that functions as an adapter for valves 1 to 4 of different structures. By fixing the base plate 30 to the gland nuts 130 to 133 of the valves 1 to 4 of different structures, the open / closed state display unit, which is mainly composed of the handle 10 and the display disc 20, can be applied as is to the valves 1 to 4 of different structures.

[0065] 1, 2, 3, 4 Valve with manual handle 10 Handle 11 First cylindrical wall portion 12 First bottom portion 13 Bearing portion 14 First window portion 15 Second window portion 16 First abutment portion 20 Indicator disc 21 Second cylindrical wall portion 21a Spacer portion 22 Second bottom portion 23 Convex portion 23a Second abutment portion 23b Third abutment portion 24A First indicator 24B Second indicator 24C Third indicator 24D Fourth indicator 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d Background color 30 Base plate 31 Body 31a Through hole 32 Step portion 33 Receiving portion 34 Spring pin 40 O-ring (elastomer part) 50 Spring 110 Valve body 111 Hollow portion 112 Inlet passage 113 Valve seat 114 Male thread 120 Spindle 121 Convex curved surface 130, 131, 132, 133 Gland nut 140 Diaphragm 150 Seating stem 151 Spring seat 152 Spring 153 Spring retainer 154 Convex curved surface 160 Seat disc (valve body) 170 Safety plug 180 Check valve adapter

Claims

1. A valve with a manual handle in which a valve disc is opened or closed by rotating a handle connected to a spindle, the valve comprising a handle and an indicator disc for constituting an indicator showing the open or closed state of the valve disc, the handle and the indicator disc sharing a central axis with the spindle, the handle having a window in the form of at least one of an opening and a notch on at least one of the top and side surfaces of the handle, and the handle having a first abutment, the indicator disc having an indicator showing the open or closed state of the valve disc on at least one of the top and side surfaces, and the indicator disc having a second abutment capable of abutting against the first abutment before the handle reaches its counterclockwise rotation limit, and a third abutment capable of abutting against the first abutment before the handle reaches its clockwise rotation limit, the indicator disc being held constant by a frictional force smaller than the rotational force of the handle transmitted when the first abutment abuts against one of the second abutment and the third abutment.

2. The valve with a manual handle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an elastomer part provided directly below the indicator disc, wherein the indicator disc is held constant by frictional force generated between the indicator disc and the elastomer part.

3. The valve with a manual handle according to claim 2, wherein the elastomer part is an O-ring that shares a central axis with the spindle.

4. A valve with a manual handle as described in claim 1, wherein the center of the handle is provided with a first cylindrical wall portion extending downward from the upper surface of the handle and a first annular bottom portion continuous with the first cylindrical wall portion; the center of the display disc is provided with a second cylindrical wall portion extending downward from the upper surface of the display disc and a second annular bottom portion continuous with the second cylindrical wall portion; the first abutment portion is provided to protrude downward from the first bottom; the second abutment portion is one end face of a circular arc-shaped convex portion provided to protrude upward from the second bottom, and the third abutment portion is the other end face of the convex portion; the first cylindrical wall portion and the first bottom portion are rotatably accommodated in a space formed by the second cylindrical wall portion and the second bottom portion; and the first abutment portion abuts against the second abutment portion before the counterclockwise rotation limit of the handle is reached, and abuts against the third abutment portion before the clockwise rotation limit of the handle is reached.

5. A valve with a manual handle as described in claim 4, wherein a circular spacer portion is provided in the center of the display disc, protruding upward from the top surface of the display disc to a height of 1 mm or less, and the spacer portion comes into contact with the back surface of the handle, thereby forming a gap of 1 mm or less between the window portion of the handle and the top surface of the display disc.

6. A valve with a manual handle as described in claim 1, further comprising a base plate, an elastomer part, and a spring provided directly below the display disc, wherein the base plate shares a central axis with the spindle and has a mounting portion for the elastomer part, the spring is interposed between the display disc and the base plate and applies an upward biasing force to the display disc, and the elastomer part is sandwiched between the display disc and the base plate, and the display disc is held constant by the frictional force generated between the display disc and the elastomer part.

7. A valve with a manual handle as described in claim 6, wherein a receiving portion having an inner surface corresponding to the hexagonal outer surface of a gland nut that constitutes the valve with a manual handle is provided on the back side of the base plate.

8. A valve with a manual handle as described in claim 6, wherein the base plate is provided with a plurality of through holes corresponding to the hexagonal outer surface of a gland nut that constitutes the valve with a manual handle, and a spring pin that abuts against the hexagonal outer surface of the gland nut is inserted into each through hole.

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