Toggle valve

Abstract

A toggle valve 1 comprises: a stem 40 configured to open and close a flow path depending on up and down movement; an operating lever 50 that is swingably connected to the stem 40 and is configured such that the stem 40 moves up and down in accordance with the swinging of the operating lever 50; and a locking member 32. The stem 40 is provided with a first locking hole 44 and a second locking hole 45. The operating lever 50 is provided with a first recess 55 and a second recess 56. The toggle valve 1 is configured such that, when the operating lever 50 is disposed in a position where the first recess 55 and the second recess 56 correspond to the first locking hole 44 and the second locking hole 45, respectively, the locking member 32 can be disposed so as to restrict the operation of the operating lever 50 in cooperation with the first recess 55 or the second recess 56 and the corresponding first locking hole 44 or second locking hole 45.

Description

toggle valve

[0001] The present invention relates to a toggle valve.

[0002] Among toggle valves that can be switched between a fully open state and a fully closed state by manually operating an operating lever, a toggle valve that can restrict operation of the operating lever at the fully closed position corresponding to the fully closed state is known (Patent Document 1). Specifically, the toggle valve described in Patent Document 1 has through holes in both the operating lever and the stem to which the operating lever is swingably connected. The two through holes in the operating lever and the stem are aligned when the operating lever is in the fully closed position. In the fully closed position, operation of the operating lever can be restricted by inserting a U-shaped latch of a padlock into the two through holes to lock them. This prevents erroneous operation, such as unintentional opening of the toggle valve.

[0003] JP 2013-185661 A

[0004] The toggle valve described in Patent Document 1 is designed only to fix the operating lever in the fully closed position, and cannot fix the operating lever in other positions, such as the fully open position that corresponds to the fully open state. Therefore, it is not possible to prevent erroneous operation of the operating lever in positions other than the fully closed position.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toggle valve whose operating lever can be fixed in at least two positions.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toggle valve comprising: a stem configured to open and close a flow path in response to up and down movement; an operating lever pivotably connected to the stem, the operating lever configured to move the stem up and down in response to the swinging of the operating lever; and a locking member, wherein the stem is provided with at least two first locking portions, the operating lever is provided with at least one second locking portion, and when the operating lever is positioned at a position where the at least one second locking portion corresponds to each of the at least two first locking portions, the locking member is configured to be able to be positioned to regulate the operation of the operating lever in cooperation with the at least one second locking portion and the corresponding first locking portion.

[0007] The at least two first locking portions and the at least one second locking portion may be provided so that the operating lever is restricted by the locking member in at least one of a fully closed position where the flow path is fully closed and a fully open position where the flow path is fully opened. At least one of the at least two first locking portions and the at least one second locking portion may be a through hole. The at least two first locking portions may be provided on the same circumference.

[0008] The aspects of the present invention have a common effect of providing a toggle valve whose operating lever can be fixed in at least two positions.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a toggle valve. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a rocking operation member. FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the rocking operation member. FIG. 4 is a side view of the rocking operation member in the fully closed position. FIG. 5 is a side view of the rocking operation member in the fully open position. FIG. 6 is a side view of another rocking operation member in the fully closed position. FIG. 7 is a side view of the rocking operation member shown in FIG. 6 in the fully open position. FIG. 8 is a side view of another rocking operation member in the fully closed position. FIG. 9 is a side view of the rocking operation member shown in FIG. 8 in the fully open position. FIG. 10 is a side view of another rocking operation member in the fully closed position. FIG. 11 is a side view of the rocking operation member shown in FIG. 10 in the fully open position. FIG. 12 is an assembled perspective view of yet another rocking operation member in the fully closed position. FIG. 13 is an assembled perspective view of the rocking operation member shown in FIG. 12 in the fully open position.

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Corresponding components throughout the drawings are designated by common reference numerals.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toggle valve 1. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the swing operation member 30, and Fig. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the swing operation member 30.

[0012] The toggle valve 1 has a valve section 10, a drive section 20, and a swing operation member 30. In describing the components that make up the toggle valve 1, the valve section 10 side will be defined as the "lower" side and the opposite side will be defined as the "upper" side, based on the orientation of each component in the assembled state.

[0013] The valve section 10 has a valve body 11 and a diaphragm 12, which serves as a valve element. The valve body 11 has a first port 13, a second port 14, and a valve seat 15 provided in the flow path between the first port 13 and the second port 14.

[0014] The drive unit 20 includes a housing 21, a piston 22 housed inside the housing 21, and a spring 23. The housing 21 includes an upper housing 21a and a lower housing 21b. The housing 21 may be configured as a single integrally formed component, rather than as two separate components such as the upper housing 21a and the lower housing 21b. A cylinder is formed inside the housing 21, allowing the piston 22 to slide. The piston 22 includes a flange-shaped piston body 22a located in the center and slidable against the inner surface of the housing 21, a connecting hole 22b consisting of a vertical hole and a horizontal hole at the top of the piston 22, and a connecting portion 22c located at the bottom of the piston 22. The diaphragm 12 is integrally attached to the piston 22 via the connecting portion 22c.

[0015] The interior of the housing 21 is divided into an upper space 24 and a lower space 25 by the piston body 22a of the piston 22. The spring 23 is disposed in the upper space 24 and constantly biases the piston 22 downward. The downward bias of the piston 22 brings the diaphragm 12 into close contact with the valve seat 15, and the toggle valve 1 is fully closed. In other words, the actuator 20 is a so-called normally closed type actuator whose normal position is the fully closed position. When the swing operating member 30 (described later) is operated, the piston 22 rises, moving the diaphragm 12 away from the valve seat 15 and bringing the toggle valve 1 into a fully open state, or the piston 22 descends, bringing the diaphragm 12 into close contact with the valve seat 15 and bringing the toggle valve 1 into a fully closed state. The spring 23 is a coil spring, but biasing means of a different shape may also be used. That is, the biasing means for biasing the piston 22 downward may be a biasing means using a leaf spring arranged in layers, an elastic material such as rubber, or a fluid such as air.

[0016] The toggle valve 1 is configured so that the drive unit 20 can be converted into a diaphragm valve equipped with an air-driven actuator by removing the swing operation member 30. Specifically, a supply port 26 communicating with the lower space 25 is provided on the side of the housing 21. Working fluid can be supplied into the lower space 25 via the supply port 26. When working fluid is supplied into the lower space 25, the piston 22 rises, the diaphragm 12 separates from the valve seat 15, and the diaphragm valve enters a fully open state. By discharging the working fluid from the lower space 25, the piston 22 descends due to the biasing force of the spring 23, and the diaphragm valve returns to a fully closed state. Note that when only the swing operation member 30 is used in the toggle valve 1, the air-driven structure, such as the supply port 26, is not required.

[0017] The swing operation member 30 has a stem 40, an operation lever 50 swingably connected to the stem 40 via a pin 31, and a locking member 32. The pin 31 is a cylindrical member. The locking member 32 may be a rectangular pillar-shaped member other than a cylindrical member, and may be a padlock. A fitting member 27 that supports the up and down movement of the stem 40 may be attached to the top surface of the housing 21.

[0018] The stem 40 has a columnar stem body 41, a protrusion 42 provided at the upper end of the stem body 41, and a connecting portion 43 provided at the lower end of the stem body 41. The protrusion 42 is formed like a wide plate in the swing direction of the operating lever 50 and always protrudes above the housing 21. The protrusion 42 has two first locking portions formed by through holes: a first locking hole 44 and a second locking hole 45. The first locking hole 44 and the second locking hole 45 are spaced apart in the width direction of the protrusion 42, i.e., the width direction in the swing direction of the operating lever 50. An insertion hole 46 into which the pin 31 is inserted is provided at the connection portion between the stem body 41 and the protrusion 42. The stem body 41 and the connecting portion 43 have non-circular cross-sectional shapes. The fitting member 27 has a non-circular hole 27a that is non-circular and complementary to the cross-sectional shapes of the stem body 41 and the connecting portion 43.

[0019] The stem 40 is inserted into the housing 21 through the non-circular hole 27a of the fitting member 27 and the through-hole 21c provided in the upper surface of the housing 21. Furthermore, the connecting portion 43 of the stem 40 is inserted into and engaged with the connecting hole 22b of the piston 22, thereby detachably and integrally attaching the stem 40 to the piston 22. Therefore, the piston 22 and the stem 40 move up and down together. Furthermore, the stem body 41, which has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, is inserted into the non-circular hole 27a of the fitting member 27, preventing the stem 40 from rotating around the central axis together with the operating lever 50 when the swing operating member 30 is operated. The upper surface of the fitting member 27 forms the abutment surface 33. The fitting member 27 may be omitted, or the fitting member 27 may be formed integrally with the housing 21. In this case, the upper surface of the housing 21 is configured to serve as the abutment surface. The stem 40 and the piston 22 may be joined by screwing, fixing with a pin, snap fitting, adhesive bonding, heat fusion, or the like.

[0020] The operating lever 50 has an elongated lever body 51, a slit 52 that divides one end of the lever body 51 into two plate-like portions, and an insertion hole 53 into which the pin 31 is inserted. The insertion hole 53 is located eccentrically with respect to the center line of the lever body 51. A cam surface 54 having a substantially cylindrical surface is provided at the end of the lever body 51 where the slit 52 is provided. A first recess 55 is provided as a second locking portion on one side surface of the lever body 51 facing in one swing direction. A second recess 56 is provided as another second locking portion on the other side surface of the lever body 51 facing in the other swing direction.

[0021] Next, the operation of the swing operation member 30 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a side view of the swing operation member 30 in the fully closed position, and Figure 5 is a side view of the swing operation member 30 in the fully open position.

[0022] When the swing operating member 30 is in the fully closed position shown in FIG. 4 , the piston 22 is biased downward by the biasing force of the spring 23, i.e., in a direction in which the diaphragm 12 comes into close contact with the valve seat 15. Therefore, the stem 40 attached to the piston 22 is also biased downward. At this time, the operating lever 50 of the swing operating member 30 is tilted to the left in FIG. 4 . In this state, the first recess 55 of the operating lever 50 is aligned with the first locking hole 44 of the stem 40, and the locking member 32 is positioned across the first recess 55 and the first locking hole 44. Specifically, the locking member 32 passes through the first locking hole 44, and both ends of the locking member 32 abut against the corresponding first recess 55. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 50 cannot be swung, and therefore operation of the operating lever 50 is restricted. As a result, the toggle valve 1 is prevented from being unintentionally opened.

[0023] When the locking member 32 is removed from the swing operating member 30 in the fully closed position shown in FIG. 4 , the operating lever 50 can be operated. When the operating lever 50 is tilted to the opposite side, the cam surface 54 and the abutment surface 33 on the housing 21, specifically the abutment surface 33 of the fitting member 27, cooperate to lift the stem 40. This also lifts the piston 22, separating the diaphragm 12 from the valve seat 15. That is, when the operating lever 50 is fully tilted to the opposite side, the toggle valve 1 is in the fully open state, as shown in FIG. 5 . In this state, the second recess 56 of the operating lever 50 is aligned with the second locking hole 45 of the stem 40, allowing the locking member 32 to be positioned across the second recess 56 and the second locking hole 45. Specifically, the locking member 32 passes through the second locking hole 45, and each end of the locking member 32 abuts against the corresponding second recess 56. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 50 cannot be swung, and therefore, operation of the operating lever 50 is restricted, thereby preventing the toggle valve 1 from being unintentionally placed in the closed state.

[0024] When the operating lever 50 of the swing operating member 30 is returned from the fully open position to its original position, the cam surface 54 of the operating lever 50 and the abutment surface 33 on the housing 21 cooperate to lower the stem 40. As a result, the toggle valve 1 returns to the fully closed state.

[0025] Figure 6 is a side view of another swing operating member 130 in the fully closed position, and Figure 7 is a side view of the swing operating member 130 shown in Figure 6 in the fully open position. The swing operating member 130 differs from the swing operating member 30 in the shape of the stem 140, specifically the shape of the protrusion 142. The swing operating member 130 can be applied to the toggle valve 1 in place of the swing operating member 30 described above.

[0026] In the swing operation member 30 described above, the first locking hole 44 and the second locking hole 45 are provided as two first locking portions consisting of through holes on the protruding portion 42 of the stem 40. In the swing operation member 130, the first locking recess 144 and the second locking recess 145 are provided as two first locking portions on the protruding portion 142 of the stem 140, which are not through holes but semicircular recesses. The first locking recess 144 and the second locking recess 145 are open downward.

[0027] When the operating lever 50 is in the fully closed position shown in FIG. 6 , the first recess 55 of the operating lever 50 is aligned with the first locking recess 144 ( FIG. 7 ) of the stem 140, allowing the locking member 32 to be positioned across the first recess 55 and the first locking recess 144. Specifically, the locking member 32 abuts against the first locking recess 144, and both ends of the locking member 32 abut against the corresponding first recess 55, so that the locking member 32 is sandwiched between the first locking recess 144 and the two first recesses 55. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 50 cannot be swung, and therefore operation of the operating lever 50 is restricted. As a result, the toggle valve 1 is prevented from being unintentionally opened.

[0028] Furthermore, when the operating lever 50 is in the fully open position shown in FIG. 7 , the second recess 56 of the operating lever 50 is aligned with the second locking recess 145 ( FIG. 6 ) of the stem 140, allowing the locking member 32 to be positioned across the second recess 56 and the second locking recess 145. Specifically, the locking member 32 abuts against the second locking recess 145, and each of the two ends of the locking member 32 abuts against the corresponding second recess 56, so that the locking member 32 is sandwiched between the second locking recess 145 and the two second recesses 56. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 50 cannot be swung, and therefore operation of the operating lever 50 is restricted. As a result, the toggle valve 1 is prevented from being unintentionally placed in the closed state.

[0029] The two first locking portions may be recesses that open sideways or upwards, rather than recesses that open downwards as shown in Figures 6 and 7 as first locking recess 144 and second locking recess 145. Specifically, the two first locking portions may be third locking recess 146 and fourth locking recess 147 that open sideways as shown in Figures 8 and 9, or fifth locking portion 148 and sixth locking portion 149 that open upwards as shown in Figures 10 and 11. In this case, the gaps in the open portions that form the recesses are formed to a size or shape that prevents the locking member 32 from disengaging, in relation to the first recess 55 and second recess 56 of the operating lever 50.

[0030] Figure 12 is an assembled perspective view of yet another swing operation member 230 in the fully closed position, and Figure 13 is an assembled perspective view of the swing operation member 230 shown in Figure 12 in the fully open position. The swing operation member 230 differs from the swing operation member 30 in the shape of the stem 240, specifically the shape of the protrusion 242, and the shape of the operating lever 250. The swing operation member 230 can be applied to the toggle valve 1 in place of the swing operation member 30 described above.

[0031] In the swing operation member 30 described above, the protrusion 42 of the stem 40 is provided with a first locking hole 44 and a second locking hole 45 as two first locking portions each consisting of a through hole. In the swing operation member 230, the protrusion 242 of the stem 240 is provided with a first locking hole 244, a second locking hole 245, and three third locking holes 246 as five first locking portions each consisting of a through hole. The first locking hole 244 and the second locking hole 245 of the stem 240 functionally correspond to the first locking hole 44 and the second locking hole 45 of the stem 40 of the swing operation member 30. The first locking hole 244, the second locking hole 245, and the three third locking holes 246 are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference centered on the swing axis of the operating lever 250 around the pin 31. Therefore, the protrusion 242 is formed in the shape of a substantially semicircular plate. The three third locking holes 246 are arranged between the first locking holes 244 and the second locking holes 245 .

[0032] The operating lever 250 has an elongated lever body 251, a slit 252 that divides one end of the lever body 251 into two plate-like portions, and an insertion hole into which the pin 31 is inserted. The insertion hole is located eccentrically with respect to the center line of the lever body 251. A cam surface 254 having a substantially cylindrical surface is provided at the end of the lever body 251 where the slit 252 is provided. Similar to the cam surface 54 of the swing operation member 30, the cam surface 254 is configured to cooperate with the abutment surface 33 provided on the housing 21 side to raise or lower the stem. A locking hole 255 having a central axis parallel to the insertion hole into which the pin 31 is inserted is provided on the side of the lever body 251 as a second locking portion.

[0033] 12, the locking hole 255 of the operating lever 250 is aligned with the first locking hole 244 of the stem 240, and the locking member 32 can be positioned across the locking hole 255 and the first locking hole 244. Specifically, the locking member 32 passes through the first locking hole 244 and the locking hole 255. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 250 cannot be swung, and therefore operation of the operating lever 250 is restricted. As a result, the toggle valve 1 is prevented from being unintentionally opened.

[0034] 13, the locking hole 255 of the operating lever 250 is aligned with the second locking hole 245 of the stem 240, and the locking member 32 can be positioned across the locking hole 255 and the second locking hole 245. Specifically, the locking member 32 passes through the second locking hole 245 and the locking hole 255. Therefore, in this state, the operating lever 250 cannot be swung, and therefore operation of the operating lever 250 is restricted. As a result, the toggle valve 1 is prevented from being unintentionally placed in the closed state.

[0035] As described above, the protrusion 242 of the stem 240 is provided with three third locking holes 246 between the first locking holes 244 and the second locking holes 245. The locking holes 255 of the operating lever 250 can be aligned with each of the three third locking holes 246 by adjusting the pivot angle of the operating lever 250. Therefore, the vertical position of the stem 240, and therefore the piston 22, can be adjusted according to the pivot angle of the operating lever 250. As a result, the distance between the diaphragm 12 and the valve seat 15, i.e., the valve opening, can be adjusted, and the flow rate can be adjusted. The number and spacing of the third locking holes 246 provided between the first locking holes 244 and the second locking holes 245 can be selected depending on the valve opening or flow rate to be adjusted. It is sufficient that at least one third locking hole 246 is provided, and the third locking hole 246 may or may not be equally spaced apart from the first locking hole 244, the second locking hole 245, and the other third locking holes 246. Furthermore, the valve body may be needle-shaped.

[0036] The toggle valve described above may be configured in any manner as long as it includes a stem configured to open and close a flow path in response to vertical movement, an operating lever pivotally connected to the stem such that the stem moves up and down in response to the swing of the operating lever, and a locking member, wherein the stem is provided with at least two first locking portions, the operating lever is provided with at least one second locking portion, and the locking member is configured to cooperate with the at least one second locking portion and the corresponding first locking portion to restrict operation of the operating lever when the operating lever is positioned such that the at least one second locking portion corresponds to each of the at least two first locking portions, thereby providing a toggle valve in which the operating lever can be fixed in at least two positions.

[0037] For example, each of the first and second locking portions may be configured with any combination of recesses or through holes. Furthermore, instead of recesses or through holes, one or both of the first and second locking portions may be flat portions capable of restricting the swing of the operating lever. While the toggle valve described above allows the operating lever to be restricted at both the fully closed and fully open positions, the first and / or second locking portions may be configured so that the operating lever can be restricted only at either the fully closed or fully open position. The stem and piston may be integrally configured. The piston and stem body may be integrally formed, and the protrusion with the first locking portion may be detachably attached to the stem body. In this case, the protrusion with the appropriate number and arrangement of first locking portions may be interchangeable depending on the application, etc. The shape of the protrusion may be configured arbitrarily as long as at least two first locking portions can be arranged.

[0038] The toggle valve 1 is a so-called normally closed type whose normal position is a fully closed state, but the above-mentioned swing operating member can also be applied to a toggle valve configured as a so-called normally open type whose normal position is a fully open state. In short, it is possible to provide a toggle valve whose operating lever can be fixed in at least two positions.

[0039] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 toggle valve 10 valve portion 11 valve body 12 diaphragm 20 drive portion 21 housing 22 piston 23 spring 30 swing operation member 31 pin 32 locking member 33 contact surface 40 stem 41 stem body 42 protrusion 44 first locking hole 45 second locking hole 50 operation lever 51 lever body 53 insertion hole 54 cam surface 55 first recess 56 second recess

Claims

1. A toggle valve comprising: a stem configured to open and close a flow path in response to up and down movement; an operating lever pivotably connected to the stem, the operating lever configured to move the stem up and down in response to the swinging of the operating lever; and a locking member, wherein the stem is provided with at least two first locking portions and the operating lever is provided with at least one second locking portion, and when the operating lever is positioned so that the at least one second locking portion corresponds to each of the at least two first locking portions, the locking member is configured to be able to be positioned so that it regulates the operation of the operating lever in cooperation with the at least one second locking portion and the corresponding first locking portion.

2. A toggle valve as described in claim 1, wherein the at least two first locking portions and the at least one second locking portion are provided so that the operating lever is restricted by the locking member in at least one of a fully closed position in which the flow path is fully closed and a fully open position in which the flow path is fully opened.

3. A toggle valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the at least two first engaging portions and the at least one second engaging portion is a through hole.

4. A toggle valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two first engaging portions are provided on the same circumference.

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