Diverter valve

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a diverter valve capable of obtaining high compressive contact pressure while suppressing an increase in operating force.　A diverter valve 1 includes: a frustoconical plug portion 21; a valve body 10 having a valve chamber C and a flow passage R; an operating mechanism Y that operates the plug portion 21; and a seat ring 133 formed along a conical surface of the plug portion 21. The diverter valve 1 is provided with a locking pin 24 and a helical groove 632 that allow the plug portion 21 to rotate from a valve-opening rotational position to a valve-closing rotational position by movement of the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, and that allow the plug portion 21 to move toward a lower side HD by further movement of the operating mechanism Y in the predetermined direction.

Description

Flow path switching valve

[0001] The present invention relates to a flow path switching valve that is connected to, for example, a pipe, adjusts the flow rate of fluid in the pipe by opening and closing the flow, and switches between opening and sealing the flow path.

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cock-type flow path switching valve has been used, which rotates a valve body having a through hole to switch between conduction and sealing of flow paths, or switches the conduction direction for a plurality of flow paths.

[0003] Recently, there have been an increasing number of situations where it is necessary to control the flow of fluids with small molecular sizes such as hydrogen and helium, or fluids at extremely low temperatures such as cryogenic temperatures. In the case of such fluids, it is necessary to increase the contact surface pressure between the valve seat (seat ring) and the valve body. However, increasing the contact surface pressure between the valve seat and the valve body increases the operating force required to rotate the valve body and degrades operability, so improvements have been demanded.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-242892

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a flow path switching valve that can obtain high contact surface pressure while suppressing an increase in operating force.

[0006] The present invention provides a flow path switching valve comprising: a valve body having a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting a rotation shaft, the valve body being formed in a conical shape with the rotation shaft as a height direction; a valve box having a valve chamber that accommodates the valve body, and flow paths communicating with each other via the valve chamber; an operating unit that operates to switch the valve body between an open valve state and a closed valve state; and a valve seat that seals between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed valve state, wherein the valve seat is formed along the conical surface of the valve body, in the rotation direction of the valve body, a position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is defined as a valve-open rotation position, and a position of the valve body rotated by a predetermined angle from the valve-open rotation position to seal between the flow paths is defined as a valve-closed rotation position, the valve body is rotated from the valve-open rotation position to the valve-closed rotation position by a moving operation of the operating unit in a predetermined direction, and a movement conversion mechanism is provided that moves the valve body toward the small diameter side by a further moving operation of the operating unit in the predetermined direction.

[0007] The above-mentioned flow path switching valve may be a valve device connected to piping, or it may be incorporated into a device. The above-mentioned valve body may also be called the valve body, housing, or body.

[0008] The valve seat described above is sometimes called a seat ring. The flow path communicating through the valve chamber described above may be a pair of flow paths arranged through the valve chamber, or it may be three or more flow paths arranged through the valve chamber.

[0009] The valve body formed in the conical shape described above may be a frustoconical shape or a cone shape. The operation in the predetermined direction described above may be a linear operation in one direction or a rotational operation.

[0010] The valve seat, formed to follow the conical surface of the valve body described above, may be positioned at the opening of the flow path on the side surface of a frustoconical valve chamber and formed to follow the conical surface, or it may be positioned at the opening of the flow path on the side surface of a cylindrical valve chamber and formed to follow the conical surface depending on the shape of the valve seat.

[0011] This invention makes it possible to obtain high contact pressure while suppressing an increase in operating force. More specifically, the flow path switching valve has a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting the rotation axis and a valve body formed in a conical shape with the rotation axis as the height direction, a valve chamber housing the valve body and a flow path communicating through the valve chamber, an operating unit for switching the valve body between an open state and a closed state, and a valve seat that seals the space between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed state. In the rotation direction of the valve body, the position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is defined as the open rotation position, and the position of the valve body where it seals the flow paths after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is defined as the closed rotation position.

[0012] Therefore, by rotating the valve body, which is positioned in the valve chamber of the valve casing, to the open valve position, it is possible to connect the flow path communicating through the valve chamber with the through-hole of the valve body to create a conductive state. Alternatively, by rotating the valve body to the closed valve position, where the through-hole of the valve body faces in a direction intersecting the communication direction between the communicating flow paths, it is possible to create a sealed state. Furthermore, by connecting a predetermined flow path with the through-hole, it is possible to switch the flow path through which the fluid is conducted or to adjust the amount of conduction.

[0013] Furthermore, the valve seat is formed to conform to the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating part in a predetermined direction, and moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side without rotating it by further moving the operating part in the predetermined direction.

[0014] As a result, the valve body, which has moved from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by the movement of the operating part, can be sealed together with the valve seat. Furthermore, by further movement of the operating part in the predetermined direction, the valve body moves to the smaller diameter side without rotating it, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the valve seat, which is formed to follow the conical surface of the valve body, and the valve body moving to the smaller diameter side without increasing the operating force of the operating part.

[0015] In this way, by moving the valve body from the closed rotation position to the smaller diameter side to increase the contact pressure between the valve seat and the valve body, the contact pressure between the valve body and the valve seat when rotating from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is not high, and an increase in operating force can be suppressed. Then, by further movement of the operating part, the valve body that has been rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position with a small operating force moves to the smaller diameter side, increasing the contact pressure between the valve seat and the valve body, thus obtaining a high contact pressure. Therefore, even when sealing the flow of fluids with small molecular sizes or fluids at extremely low temperatures such as cryogenic temperatures, the fluid will not leak out from between the seat ring and the valve body, and the flow path can be reliably sealed.

[0016] In an embodiment of this invention, the valve chamber has a conical space having an inner surface along the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism may move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber having the conical space.

[0017] The inner surface of the valve body along the conical surface mentioned above refers to an inner surface positioned at a slight distance from the conical surface, which is the inclined side surface of the conical valve body. The conical space may be a substantially frustoconical space, a substantially conical space, or a space that partially has a frustoconical shape.

[0018] This invention allows for an increase in contact pressure with the valve body using a valve seat with a simpler structure compared to a valve seat structure that is mounted in the opening of a cylindrical valve chamber and formed along the conical surface of the valve body. Since the amount of protrusion from the conical surface is approximately equal along the opening, a stable and high contact pressure can be obtained.

[0019] In another aspect of this invention, the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating unit may be parallel to the rotation axis. The above statement that the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating unit is parallel to the rotation axis means that the direction of the movement operation of the operating unit may be along the axial direction of the rotation axis, or it may be parallel with a predetermined interval between them.

[0020] This invention allows the movement of the operating unit to be transmitted to the valve body with a simpler structure compared to a case where the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating unit intersects the rotation axis and the movement operation in the intersecting direction is transmitted to the valve body by changing its direction. Therefore, the operating force of the movement operation of the operating unit can be transmitted to the valve body more efficiently than when the movement operation in the intersecting direction is transmitted to the valve body by changing its direction.

[0021] In another aspect of this invention, the valve chamber may have a smaller diameter side at the tip end of the predetermined direction of the operation of the operating part that rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position. With this invention, by simply moving the operating part toward the tip end in the predetermined direction, the operating force from the operation of the operating part in the predetermined direction can be directly applied to the valve body, thereby moving the valve body to the smaller diameter side.

[0022] In another aspect of this invention, a valve stem is provided for rotating the valve body housed in the valve chamber, and the movement conversion mechanism is configured to rotate the valve stem so as to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating part in a predetermined direction, and to move the valve stem so as to move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber by further moving the operating part in the predetermined direction.

[0023] With this invention, by simply moving the operating part in the predetermined direction, the movement conversion mechanism rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position via the valve stem, and further movement of the operating part in the predetermined direction moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side.

[0024] In another aspect of this invention, the movement conversion mechanism may be provided with a movement restricting unit that restricts axial movement when the valve stem is rotated by moving the operating unit in a predetermined direction to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position, and a movement allowing unit that allows movement toward the smaller diameter side by further moving the operating unit in the predetermined direction.

[0025] With this invention, although the valve stem rotates when the operating part is moved in a predetermined direction, the movement restricting part restricts movement in that direction, so that the valve body can rotate between the open valve rotation position and the closed valve rotation position within the valve chamber without moving in the predetermined direction. Furthermore, when the operating part is moved further in the predetermined direction by the movement-allowing part, movement of the valve stem toward the smaller diameter side is permitted, so that the valve body in the closed valve rotation position can be moved toward the smaller diameter side.

[0026] In another aspect of this invention, the operating section has a cylindrical portion capable of accommodating a part of the valve stem, at least a part of the valve stem is housed in the cylindrical portion, the portion of the valve stem housed in the cylindrical portion is provided with a projection that protrudes radially outward, and the cylindrical portion is provided with a helical groove that guides the projection, the direction in which the valve body rotates from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is defined as the closed rotation direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the reverse rotation direction, the helical groove has a helical shape directed toward the reverse rotation direction, and the movement conversion mechanism may be configured by the helical groove and the projection.

[0027] The aforementioned spiral shape directed in the reverse rotation direction is a spiral shape that is directed in the reverse rotation direction toward the front side in the direction of movement of the operating part moving in the predetermined direction; in other words, it refers to a spiral shape that is directed in the closed rotation direction toward the rear side in the direction of movement of the operating part moving in the predetermined direction.

[0028] This invention allows the valve stem to be rotated by moving the operating part in a predetermined direction using a simple movement conversion mechanism. More specifically, the valve stem has a projection that protrudes radially outward in the portion housed in the cylindrical part, and a helical groove is provided in the cylindrical part to guide the projection. The helical groove is formed in a helical shape that faces the direction of the reverse rotation. Therefore, when the operating part is moved in a predetermined direction, the movement of the projection in the predetermined direction of the valve stem is restricted by the movement restricting part, and the projection is guided by the helical groove, allowing the valve stem to be reliably rotated in the closing rotation direction.

[0029] In another aspect of this invention, the protrusion is formed to extend through the helical groove and protrude to the outside of the cylindrical portion, the valve body is provided with a sliding surface that restricts the movement of the protrusion toward the smaller diameter side and allows it to slide in the circumferential direction, and the sliding surface is provided with a recess that becomes concave so that the protrusion can move toward the smaller diameter side at the closed valve rotation position, the sliding surface constitutes the movement restricting portion and the recess constitutes the movement allowing portion.

[0030] With this invention, the protrusion guided by the spiral groove slides on the sliding surface constituting the movement restricting portion, thereby allowing the valve stem to rotate while its movement in a predetermined direction is restricted. Furthermore, at the closed valve rotation position on the sliding surface, further movement of the operating portion in a predetermined direction causes the protrusion to become concave, allowing it to move toward the smaller diameter side, and to fit into the recess constituting the movement-allowing portion, thereby allowing it to move toward the smaller diameter side.

[0031] This invention is a flow path switching valve characterized by comprising: a valve body having a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting the axis of rotation and formed in a conical shape with the axis of rotation as the height direction; a valve casing having a valve chamber housing the valve body and a flow path communicating through the valve chamber; an operating unit for switching the valve body between an open state and a closed state; and a valve seat that seals the space between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed state, wherein the valve seat is formed along the conical surface of the valve body, and in the rotational direction of the valve body, the position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is set as the open rotation position, and the position of the valve body where it seals the flow paths after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is set as the closed rotation position, and a movement conversion mechanism is provided that rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating unit in the rotational direction, and moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side by further moving the operating unit in the rotational direction.

[0032] This invention makes it possible to obtain high contact pressure while suppressing an increase in operating force. More specifically, the flow path switching valve has a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting the rotation axis and a valve body formed in a conical shape with the rotation axis as the height direction, a valve chamber housing the valve body and a flow path communicating through the valve chamber, an operating unit for switching the valve body between an open state and a closed state, and a valve seat that seals the space between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed state. In the rotation direction of the valve body, the position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is defined as the open rotation position, and the position of the valve body where it seals the flow paths after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is defined as the closed rotation position.

[0033] Therefore, by rotating the valve body, which is positioned in the valve chamber of the valve casing, to the open valve position, it is possible to connect the flow path communicating through the valve chamber with the through-hole of the valve body to create a conductive state. Alternatively, by rotating the valve body to the closed valve position, where the through-hole of the valve body faces in a direction intersecting the communication direction between the two flow paths, it is possible to create a sealed state. By connecting the flow path and the through-hole, it is possible to switch the flow path through which the fluid is conducted, or to adjust the amount of conduction.

[0034] Furthermore, the valve seat is formed to conform to the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating part in the rotational direction, and moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side without rotating it by further moving the operating part in the rotational direction.

[0035] As a result, the valve body, which has moved from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by the movement of the operating part, can be sealed together with the valve seat. Furthermore, by further movement of the operating part in the rotational direction, the valve body moves to the smaller diameter side without rotating it, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the valve seat, which is formed to follow the conical surface of the valve body, and the valve body moving to the smaller diameter side without increasing the operating force of the operating part.

[0036] In this way, by moving the valve body from the closed rotation position to the smaller diameter side to increase the contact pressure between the valve seat and the valve body, the contact pressure between the valve body and the valve seat when rotating from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is not high, and an increase in operating force can be suppressed. Then, by further movement of the operating part in the rotational direction of the valve body, which has been rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position with a small operating force, the valve body moves to the smaller diameter side, increasing the contact pressure between the valve seat and the valve body, and thus a high contact pressure can be obtained. Therefore, even when sealing the flow of fluids with small molecular sizes or fluids at extremely low temperatures such as cryogenic temperatures, the fluid will not leak out from between the seat ring and the valve body, and the flow path can be reliably sealed.

[0037] In an embodiment of this invention, the valve chamber has a conical space having an inner surface along the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism may move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber having a frustoconical space.

[0038] This invention allows for an increase in contact pressure with the valve body using a valve seat with a simpler structure compared to a valve seat structure that is mounted in the opening of a cylindrical valve chamber and formed along the conical surface of the valve body. Since the amount of protrusion from the conical surface is approximately equal along the opening, a stable and high contact pressure can be obtained.

[0039] In another aspect of this invention, a valve stem is provided for rotating the valve body housed in the valve chamber, and the movement conversion mechanism rotates the valve stem so as to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by a rotational movement operation of the operating part, and further moves the valve stem so as to move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber by a rotational movement operation of the operating part.

[0040] With this invention, by simply moving the operating part in the rotational direction, the movement conversion mechanism rotates the valve body from the open rotational position to the closed rotational position via the valve stem, and further movement of the operating part in the rotational direction moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side.

[0041] In another aspect of this invention, the movement conversion mechanism may be provided with a movement restricting section that restricts axial movement when the valve stem is rotated by a rotational movement operation of the operating section to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position, and a movement allowing section that allows movement toward the smaller diameter side by further rotational movement operation of the operating section.

[0042] According to the present invention, although the valve stem is rotated by the movement operation of the operating portion in the rotation direction, movement in a predetermined direction is restricted by the movement restriction portion, so that the valve body can rotate between the valve-opening rotation position and the valve-closing rotation position without moving in the predetermined direction in the valve chamber. Further, when the operating portion is further moved in the rotation direction by the movement permitting portion, movement of the valve stem toward the smaller diameter side is permitted, so that the valve body at the valve-closing rotation position can be moved toward the smaller diameter side.

[0043] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the operating portion has a cylindrical portion capable of accommodating a part of the valve stem, at least a part of the valve stem is accommodated in the cylindrical portion, a protrusion protruding radially outward is provided on a portion of the valve stem accommodated in the cylindrical portion, a guide groove for guiding the protrusion is provided in the cylindrical portion, a direction in which the valve body rotates from the valve-opening rotation position toward the valve-closing rotation position is defined as a closing rotation direction, and the opposite direction is defined as a reverse rotation direction, the guide groove has a helical shape extending in the reverse rotation direction, and the movement conversion mechanism may be constituted by the guide groove and the protrusion.

[0044] According to the present invention, the valve stem can be rotated by the movement operation of the operating portion in a predetermined direction by the movement conversion mechanism with a simple structure. Specifically, a protrusion protruding radially outward is provided on a portion of the valve stem accommodated in the cylindrical portion, and a helical groove for guiding the protrusion is provided in the cylindrical portion. The helical groove is formed in a helical shape extending in the reverse rotation direction. Therefore, when the operating portion is further moved in the rotation direction, the valve stem, whose protrusion is restricted from moving toward the smaller diameter side by the movement restriction portion, can be reliably rotated in the closing rotation direction.

[0045] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the protrusion is formed to have a length that penetrates the guide groove and protrudes to the outside of the cylindrical portion, the valve body is provided with a sliding surface that restricts movement of the protrusion toward the smaller diameter side and is slidable in the circumferential direction, the sliding surface is provided with a concave portion that is concave to allow the protrusion to move toward the smaller diameter side at the valve-closing rotation position on the sliding surface, the movement restriction portion may be constituted by the sliding surface, and the movement permitting portion may be constituted by the concave portion.

[0046] According to the present invention, the protruding portion guided by the spiral groove slides on the sliding surface that constitutes said movement restricting portion, so that the valve stem can rotate while its movement toward the small-diameter side is restricted. Then, at the valve-closed rotation position on said sliding surface, a further rotation-direction operation of said operation portion forms the protruding portion into a concave shape that enables movement toward the small-diameter side, and the protruding portion can move toward the small-diameter side by fitting into the concave portion that constitutes the movement permitting portion.

[0047] Further, as an aspect of the present invention, a movement range restricting portion that restricts the movement range of said protruding portion in said rotation direction may be provided on said sliding surface. According to the present invention, since the movement range of said protruding portion is restricted by the movement range restricting portion, the protruding portion does not rotate further in response to an additional rotation operation of said operation portion, but fits into the concave portion that constitutes the movement permitting portion and can move toward the small-diameter side.

[0048] According to the present invention, there can be provided a flow path switching valve capable of obtaining high contact surface pressure while suppressing an increase in operating force.

[0049] An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by perspective view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by left side view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the open state by cross-sectional view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the closed state by cross-sectional view. An exploded perspective view of the flow path switching valve. An exploded perspective view of the flow path switching valve. An exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve. An explanatory diagram of the valve body unit component. An explanatory diagram of the cylindrical component. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by perspective view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the closed state by perspective view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by perspective view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by enlarged view of the main part of the flow path switching valve in the open state. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by enlarged view of the main part of the flow path switching valve in the closed state. An explanatory diagram of the opening and closing operation of the flow path switching valve by cross-section view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by perspective view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve by left side view. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the open state by cross-sectional view. A cross-sectional diagram illustrating the flow path switching valve in the closed state. An exploded perspective view of the flow path switching valve. An exploded perspective view of the flow path switching valve. An exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve. An explanatory diagram of the valve body unit component. An explanatory diagram of the cylindrical component. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the open state. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the closed state. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the open state with an enlarged view of the main part. An explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve in the closed state with an enlarged view of the main part. An explanatory diagram of the opening and closing operation of the flow path switching valve using a cross-sectional view.

[0050] One embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an explanatory perspective view of the flow path switching valve 1, and Figure 2 is an explanatory left side view of the flow path switching valve 1. More specifically, Figure 1(a) is a schematic perspective view showing the front, right side, and top of the flow path switching valve 1, and Figure 1(b) is a schematic perspective view showing the rear, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1. Note that in Figure 1, the rotary handle 51 and the connecting flange 113 are shown in a transparent state.

[0051] Figure 2(a) shows a left side view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, and Figure 2(b) shows a left side view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state. Note that in Figure 2, the connecting flange 113 is not shown, and the upper cover member 40 is shown in a transparent state.

[0052] Figures 3 and 4 show explanatory diagrams of the flow path switching valve 1 in cross-sectional view. Figure 3(a) of Figure 3, which shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state taken along the line A-A in Figure 1(a), and Figure 3(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line D-D in Figure 3(a). Figure 4(a) of Figure 4, which shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state taken along the line A-A in Figure 1(a), and Figure 4(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line E-E in Figure 4(a).

[0053] Figures 5 and 6 show exploded perspective views of the flow path switching valve 1. Specifically, Figure 5 shows exploded perspective views of the front, left side, and top of the flow path switching valve 1, and Figure 6 shows exploded perspective views of the rear, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1. Note that Figure 5 shows enlarged views of parts a and b, and Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of part c.

[0054] Figure 7 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1. More specifically, Figure 7 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the view along the line A-A in Figure 1(a). Note that in Figure 7, the operating mechanism Y is shown in its assembled state.

[0055] Figure 8 shows an explanatory diagram of the valve body member 20, and Figure 9 shows an explanatory diagram of the operation conversion member 60. More specifically, Figure 8(a) shows a cross-sectional view of the valve body member 20, Figure 8(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F in Figure 8(a), Figure 9(a) shows a right side view of the operation conversion member 60, and Figure 9(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line G-G in Figure 9(a).

[0056] Figure 10 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, shown in perspective view. More specifically, Figures 10(a) and (b) show schematic perspective views of the front, right side, and top view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state. Note that the rotating handle 51, connecting flange 113, and upper cover member 40 are not shown in Figure 10. Also, Figure 10(a) shows the valve body 10 in a transparent state.

[0057] Figure 11 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state, shown in perspective view. More specifically, Figures 11(a) and (b) show schematic perspective views of the front, right side, and top view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state. Note that the rotating handle 51, connecting flange 113, and upper cover member 40 are not shown in Figure 11. Also, Figure 11(a) shows the valve body 10 in a transparent state.

[0058] Figure 12 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1 in a perspective view. Specifically, Figure 12(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the back, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, and Figure 12(b) shows a schematic perspective view of the back, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state. Note that in Figure 12, the rotating handle 51, connecting flange 113, and upper cover member 40 are omitted from the illustration, and the valve body 10 is shown in a transparent state.

[0059] Figures 13 and 14 show explanatory diagrams of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1 in an enlarged view. Specifically, Figure 13(a) of Figure 13, which shows an explanatory diagram of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state taken along the line B-B in Figure 2(a), and Figure 13(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line H-H in Figure 13(a). Furthermore, Figure 14(a) of Figure 14, which shows an explanatory diagram of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1 in the closed state, shows a cross-sectional view of the closed flow path switching valve 1 taken along the line C-C in Figure 2(b), and Figure 14(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line I-I in Figure 14(a).

[0060] Figure 15 shows an explanatory diagram of the opening and closing operation of the flow path switching valve 1 using a cross-sectional view. Specifically, Figure 15 shows cross-sectional views of the flow path switching valve 1 in each state, taken along the line A-A in Figure 1(a). Figure 15(a) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 in the open state, Figure 15(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 at a 45-degree rotation position, Figure 15(c) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 at the closed rotation position, and Figure 15(d) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1 at the closed state.

[0061] Note that in the above-mentioned drawings, some illustrations of bolt holes for inserting or fastening bolts, the bolts themselves, or O-rings have been omitted. Also, in Figure 1(a), the vertical direction is defined as the height direction H, the direction connecting the upper left and lower right is defined as the width direction W, and the direction connecting the upper right and lower left is defined as the depth direction D.

[0062] Furthermore, the upper part of the height direction H is designated as upper HU, and the lower part as lower HD. In addition, the upper left side of the width direction W, which connects the upper left and lower right, is designated as left WL, and the lower right side as right WR. In the depth direction D, which connects the upper right and lower left, the upper right side is designated as rear DB, and the lower right side as front DF. Regardless of whether it is the width direction W or the depth direction D, the direction perpendicular to the height direction H is called the horizontal direction. Also, in Figures 5 to 7, the dashed line along the height direction H illustrates the rotation axis Ra, which is the central axis when the valve body member 20 rotates.

[0063] The flow path switching valve 1 is connected to a pipeline (not shown) such as a pipe arranged along the width direction W, and is a valve device for allowing, sealing, or adjusting the flow of fluids such as liquids or gases flowing through the pipeline by rotating the cock portion 21.

[0064] The flow path switching valve 1 comprises a main body mechanism X having at least a valve body member 20 and a valve casing 10 having a flow path F along the width direction W, and an operating mechanism Y mounted on the upper part of the main body mechanism X and having at least an operating conversion member 60.

[0065] The main mechanism X comprises a valve body 10, a valve element member 20, and two sealing members 30. The valve body 10 comprises a valve body 110 having a pair of flow paths R and valve chambers C connecting the flow paths R inside, an upper valve body 120 assembled to the upper part of the valve body 110, and a seat ring unit 130.

[0066] The valve body 110 comprises a roughly disc-shaped central portion 111 having a protrusion projecting toward the lower side HD, and side portions 112 that project from the central portion 111 toward both sides in the width direction W and have connecting flanges 113 at their ends.

[0067] The valve body 110 contains a pair of flow paths R and a valve chamber C that communicates with the flow paths R. Specifically, a roughly frustoconical valve chamber C with an open upper HU is provided in the center of the central portion 111 in a plan view, and flow paths R, which are lateral cylindrical spaces that communicate with the valve chamber C, are provided in the center of the side view of both side portions 112, with their ends in the width direction W open and communicating with the valve chamber C. The outer end of the flow path R in the width direction W opens in a circular shape in the center of the side view of the connecting flange 113.

[0068] The valve chamber C is located on the upper HU and has a disc portion C1, which is a roughly disc-shaped space, and a frustoconical portion C2, located on the lower HD, which is a frustoconical space that is tapered toward the lower HD, meaning that the lower HD has a smaller diameter. In addition, a recess 114 is provided at the center of the lower end of the frustoconical portion C2 in a plan view, which accommodates the support shaft 213 of the valve body member 20, which will be described later.

[0069] The upper valve body 120, which is assembled to the valve body main body 110 to form the valve body 10, has a cylindrical main body portion 121 located in the center in a plan view, and connecting flanges 122 (122U, 122D) located at both ends of the cylindrical main body portion 121 in the height direction H.

[0070] The cylindrical body portion 121 is cylindrical in shape and has an internal space IA. A partition wall 123 is provided at approximately the center of the internal space IA in the height direction H, substantially dividing the internal space IA vertically. In the center of the partition wall 123 in a plan view, there is an insertion hole 124 through which the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20 is inserted.

[0071] Furthermore, within the cylindrical body portion 121, the internal space IA is partitioned in the height direction H by a partition wall 123. The upper HU is designated as the upper internal space IAU, which houses the rotational conversion portion 63 of the operation conversion member 60, and the lower HD is designated as the lower housing space IAD, which houses the sealing member 30 that fits onto the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20. In addition, the lower flange 122D of the lower HD of the connecting flanges 122 on both sides in the height direction H is provided with a protruding cylindrical portion 125 that protrudes downward and has approximately the same diameter as the cylindrical body portion 121.

[0072] Furthermore, the upper surface of the upper flange 122U is provided with a restricting projection 126 that protrudes toward the upper HU along the peripheral surface 1221 which is the opening edge of the internal space IA, and an allowable recess 127 that is adjacent to the restricting projection 126 in the circumferential direction and is concave toward the lower HD.

[0073] The restrictive projection 126 is formed to a height approximately equal to the outer diameter of the locking pin 24, which will be described later, and the allowable recess 127 is formed to accommodate the end of the locking pin 24. Furthermore, the restrictive projection 126 and the allowable recess 127 are provided at two locations facing each other on the peripheral surface 1221 of the circular internal space IA in plan view.

[0074] The valve body 110 and upper valve body 120 configured in this way are assembled by inserting the protruding cylindrical portion 125 from the upper HU into the valve chamber C which opens into the upper HU of the central portion 111, relative to the valve body 110. At this time, the lower flange 122D is stacked on the upper surface of the central portion 111 of the valve body 110, and the lower flange 122D is fixed to the central portion 111 with bolts or the like (not shown), thereby creating a valve body 10 in which the valve chamber C and the lower housing space IAD are in communication.

[0075] The seat ring unit 130, which is fitted into the flow path R provided inside both sides 112 of the valve body 110, has a fixing ring 131, a spacer 132, and a seat ring 133 arranged from the outside to the inside in the width direction W (see Figures 5 and 6).

[0076] The seat ring 133 is a horizontally oriented cylindrical shape made of a so-called elastic material, and its inner end in the width direction W is smoothly modified such that the lower HD protrudes inward in the width direction W from the upper HU, and the area near the center of the height direction H protrudes inward in the width direction W from the lower HD. In this way, the inner end in the width direction W of the formed seat ring 133 is positioned in the flow path R such that it protrudes slightly toward the valve chamber C from the end of the flow path R in the width direction W that communicates with the valve chamber C.

[0077] The spacer 132 is a horizontally oriented cylindrical body for precisely positioning the seat ring 133 in the aforementioned location. It comprises an inner placement portion 1321 positioned on the inside in the width direction W and inside the seat ring 133, and a cylindrical main body portion 1322 having approximately the same diameter as the seat ring 133 and positioned on the outside in the width direction W of the seat ring 133. An O-ring, not shown in Figure 7, is fitted between the inner placement portion 1321 and the cylindrical main body portion 1322.

[0078] The fixing ring 131 is intended to prevent the spacer 132, which is used to precisely position the seat ring 133 as described above, from coming out of the flow path R in the width direction W. The fixing ring 131 is fixed by inserting the threaded portion 1311, which is provided on the inner end side in the width direction W, from the outer end of the flow path R in the width direction W and screwing it in place.

[0079] In this way, the seat ring unit 130, comprising each element, can be assembled to the valve body 110 in such a manner that the end of the seat ring 133 protrudes slightly into the valve chamber C from the inner end in the width direction W of the flow path R by fitting the seat ring 133 onto the inner arrangement portion 1321 of the spacer 132, inserting the spacer 132, onto which the seat ring 133 is fitted, into the flow path R from the outside in the width direction W of the spacer 132, and screwing the fixing ring 131 into the flow path R toward the outside in the width direction W of the spacer 132.

[0080] The valve body member 20 includes a cock portion 21 positioned on the lower HD, a base portion 22 positioned above the cock portion 21 and having a smaller diameter than the cock portion 21, a valve stem portion 23 extending from the base portion 22 toward the upper HU, a locking pin 24, a pin fixing bolt 25, and a sliding ring 26.

[0081] The cock portion 21 is formed in a substantially frustoconical shape with a conical surface 211 that tapers in diameter toward the lower HD and is inclined with respect to the height direction H. It also has a conductive hole 212 that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H (horizontal direction) at approximately one-third of the way down the lower HD in the height direction H (see Figure 8).

[0082] The conduction hole 212 is a through-hole with the same diameter as the flow path R described above, extending horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H. It is formed at a position in the height direction H where the flow path R and the conduction hole 212 communicate when the cock portion 21 is positioned in the valve chamber C. The bottom surface of the cock portion 21 has a cylindrical support shaft 213 that protrudes downward towards the lower side HD from the center when viewed from the bottom. The support shaft 213 is fitted with a cylindrical bearing 27 and inserted into a housing recess 114 provided at the bottom of the valve chamber C of the valve body 110.

[0083] The base portion 22 is positioned on the upper surface of the cock portion 21, is disc-shaped with a smaller diameter than the cock portion 21 and a predetermined height, and is configured to accommodate an O-ring (not shown). The valve stem portion 23 is a cylindrical body extending from the upper surface of the base portion 22 toward the upper side HU. The valve stem portion 23 is formed with a diameter of about 1 / 3 of the maximum diameter of the cock portion 21 and a length of about 1.5 times the height of the cock portion 21 (length in the height direction H). The cock portion 21, base portion 22, and valve stem portion 23 may be formed as a single unit, or they may be formed as separate parts and assembled together.

[0084] The upper part of the valve stem portion 23 is provided with a pin mounting hole 231 that penetrates horizontally and through which a locking pin 24, described later, is inserted. The pin mounting hole 231 is a through hole that is slightly larger in diameter than the locking pin 24, described later, and penetrates horizontally. The upper end surface of the valve stem portion 23 is provided with a screw hole 232 that is concave on the lower HD in the center of the plan view, communicates with the pin mounting hole 231, and into which a pin fixing bolt 25 for fixing the locking pin 24 is screwed.

[0085] The locking pin 24, which is inserted into a pin mounting hole 231 located above the valve stem portion 23, is a horizontally elongated cylindrical shape and has a fixing recess 241 near the center in the longitudinal direction, which is concave from the outer surface. The locking pin 24 is formed to be approximately the same length as the maximum diameter of the cock portion 21. Therefore, when inserted into the pin mounting hole 231, it protrudes laterally from the side surface of the valve stem portion 23.

[0086] The pin fixing bolt 25 is a hexagon socket set screw provided on the upper surface of the valve stem portion 23 and can be screwed into a threaded hole 232 that communicates with the pin mounting hole 231. The sliding ring 26 is an annular shape with a predetermined thickness, having an inner diameter slightly larger than the base portion 22 and an outer diameter slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the cock portion 21, and is made of a highly slippery sliding material.

[0087] As described above, the valve body member 20, comprising each element, can be assembled by placing the sliding ring 26 on the upper surface of the cock portion 21 so as to fit onto the base portion 22, inserting the locking pin 24 into the pin mounting hole 231 of the valve stem portion 23, and then screwing the pin fixing bolt 25 into the screw hole 232 so as to insert the pin fixing bolt 25 into the fixing recess 241 of the locking pin 24 (see Figure 7). At this time, the valve body member 20 is configured such that the locking pin 24 protrudes from both sides of the circumferential surface of the valve stem portion 23 by approximately the same length above the valve stem portion 23.

[0088] The two sealing members 30 are stacked in the height direction H and fitted onto the valve stem portion 23, sealing the space between the inner surface of the cylindrical body portion 121, which forms the lower housing space IAD, and the valve stem portion 23. The sealing member 30 comprises a retainer 31 which is substantially annular in plan view, a large-diameter O-ring 32 which fits onto the retainer 31, and a small-diameter O-ring 33 which fits inside.

[0089] As shown in the enlarged view of part d in Figure 7, the retainer 31 comprises a cylindrical section 311 in which a small-diameter O-ring 33 is fitted internally to the inner circumferential surface and a large-diameter O-ring 32 is fitted externally to the outer circumferential surface, an upper disc section 312 of a disc that is roughly annular in plan view and is located on the upper side HU of the cylindrical section 311, and a lower disc section 313 of a disc that is roughly annular in plan view and is located on the lower side HD of the cylindrical section 311.

[0090] The upper disc portion 312 and the lower disc portion 313 are formed in a disc shape having an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the valve stem portion 23 and an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner surface of the cylindrical body portion 121 that forms the lower housing space IAD.

[0091] The cylindrical portion 311 has an inner circumferential surface with a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the disc portions 312 and 313, and an outer circumferential surface with a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the disc portions 312 and 313, and is formed with a thicker wall than the disc portions 312 and 313. As a result, the disc portions 312 and 313 protrude both inward and outward on both sides of the cylindrical portion 311 in the height direction H. The outer diameter side of the bottom surface of the upper disc portion 312, the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 311, and the outer diameter side of the upper surface of the lower disc portion 313 form a concave shape on the inner side of the diameter, forming an outer fitting groove 314 into which the large-diameter O-ring 32 can be fitted. Similarly, the inner diameter side of the bottom surface of the upper disc portion 312, the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 311, and the inner diameter side of the upper surface of the lower disc portion 313 form a concave shape on the outer side of the diameter, forming an inner fitting groove 315 into which the small-diameter O-ring 33 can be fitted.

[0092] Thus, the retainer 31, composed of a cylindrical portion 311 and disc portions 312 and 313, is formed in an annular shape with one cross-section being approximately H-shaped and oriented horizontally. In this configuration, the cylindrical portion 311, the upper disc portion 312, and the lower disc portion 313 are integrally formed.

[0093] A sealing member 30 can be constructed by fitting a large-diameter O-ring 32 onto the outer fitting groove 314 of the retainer 31 configured in this way, and fitting a small-diameter O-ring 33 onto the inner fitting groove 315. Furthermore, two of these sealing members 30 are stacked in the height direction H and mounted together.

[0094] The valve body 10, with each element configured as described above, has the valve cock portion 21 of the valve body member 20 positioned in the valve chamber C from the upper HU, relative to the valve body 110, on which the seat ring unit 130 is mounted in the flow path R on both sides 112. At this time, as described above, the support shaft 213 on which the bearing 27 is fitted is inserted into a housing recess 114 provided at the bottom of the valve chamber C. Therefore, the valve body member 20 with the cock portion 21 positioned in the valve chamber C becomes rotatable around the support shaft 213 relative to the valve body 110. In addition, the seat ring 133 that protrudes slightly toward the valve chamber C from the end in the width direction W of the flow path R is in close contact with the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21.

[0095] Furthermore, the base portion 22 and valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20, in which the cock portion 21 is housed in the valve chamber C, protrude from the upper surface of the central portion 111 of the valve body 110. A sliding ring 26 is fitted onto the base portion 22, and two stacked sealing members 30 are fitted onto the valve stem portion 23.

[0096] Then, the upper valve body 120 is assembled to the valve body 110 such that the valve stem portion 23, which the sealing member 30 is fitted onto, is inserted into the insertion hole 124, the lower flange 122D of the upper valve body 120 is stacked on the upper surface of the central portion 111, and fixing bolts (not shown) are fastened to form the valve body 10 in which the cock portion 21 is housed in the valve chamber C.

[0097] Furthermore, the sealing member 30 is positioned in the lower housing space IAD of the upper valve body 120, and the valve stem portion 23, which is inserted through the insertion hole 124, protrudes above the partition wall 123 into the upper HU. The locking pin 24 is inserted through the pin mounting hole 231 of the valve stem portion 23 that protrudes above the partition wall 123 into the upper HU, and the pin fixing bolt 25 is screwed into the screw hole 232 to assemble the locking pin 24 and constitute the main body mechanism X. At this time, the locking pin 24 installed in the pin mounting hole 231 of the valve stem portion 23 is positioned to be in contact with the peripheral edge surface 1221 of the upper surface of the upper flange 122U.

[0098] Next, the operating mechanism Y, which is attached to the upper part of the main mechanism X and constitutes the flow path switching valve 1, will be described. The operating mechanism Y attached to the upper part of the main mechanism X comprises an upper cover member 40 attached to the upper part of the valve body 10, an operating unit 50 attached to the upper cover member 40, and an operating conversion member 60 housed in the upper internal space IAU of the upper cover member 40 and the valve body 10.

[0099] The upper cover member 40 has a roughly rectangular prism-shaped cover body 41 capable of accommodating the operation conversion member 60, a gear housing portion 42 that protrudes in a roughly semicircular shape from near the center of the height H of the cover body 41 to the right WR in a front view and accommodates the pinion gear 53, which will be described later, and a connecting flange 43 provided at the lower end of the cover body 41, which is stacked with and fixed to the upper flange 122U of the upper valve body 120.

[0100] The cover body 41 has a cylindrical housing space 411 inside which the cylindrical shaft portion 61 and the rack gear portion 62 of the operating conversion member 60 are housed, and an insertion hole 412 is provided on the upper surface through which the cylindrical shaft portion 61 is inserted.

[0101] The gear housing section 42 has a horizontally oriented, substantially cylindrical gear housing space 421 inside for housing the pinion gear 53, which will be described later, and has an insertion hole 422 on its front through which the connecting shaft 52 is inserted. The gear housing space 421 is in communication with the housing space 411, and a part of the side of the pinion gear 53 housed in the gear housing space 421 protrudes into the housing space 411.

[0102] The connecting flange 43 is a disc-shaped object in plan view with the same diameter as the upper flange 122U, and has an opening at its bottom surface for housing space 411. A concave groove 431 is provided on its periphery, which is concave toward the upper HU. The concave groove 431 is formed to a depth that allows the locking pin 24 of the valve body member 20 to be fitted. The cover body 41 and the gear housing section 42 are configured to be separable in the depth direction D, and by separating them, the gear housing space 421 is opened to accommodate the pinion gear 53.

[0103] The operating unit 50 comprises a rotary handle 51 which is roughly ring-shaped in front view, a connecting shaft 52 which connects the rotary handle 51 and the pinion gear 53, and the pinion gear 53 which is housed in the gear housing space 421. The rotary handle 51 is located on the front side of the upper cover member 40 and is a handle for the user to rotate, and is configured to allow the connecting shaft 52 to be connected in the center in front view.

[0104] The connecting shaft 52 is inserted through the insertion hole 422 of the gear housing 42 and connects the rotary handle 51, which is located on the front side of the gear housing 42, to the pinion gear 53, which is located in the gear housing space 421 of the gear housing 42. It is a transmission member that transmits the rotational operation of the rotary handle 51 by the user to the pinion gear 53.

[0105] The pinion gear 53 is a gear having gear teeth 531 that mesh with the rack gear 621 provided on the rack gear portion 62 of the operation conversion member 60, which will be described later, and is housed in the gear housing space 421 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis along the depth direction D.

[0106] The operation conversion member 60 comprises a cylindrical shaft portion 61, a rack gear portion 62, and a cylindrical rotation conversion portion 63 with an open lower end, arranged in this order from the upper HU to the lower HD. The shaft portion 61 is cylindrical and can be inserted into the insertion hole 412 of the cover body 41, and is formed to be long enough so that it does not escape from the insertion hole 412 even when the operation conversion member 60 is positioned at the lowest HD.

[0107] The rack gear section 62 is roughly rectangular in shape, and a rack gear 621 is provided on the side of the right WR, with multiple gear teeth extending in the depth direction D and arranged in the height direction H. The rotational conversion section 63 is cylindrical and has a housing space 631 inside that can accommodate the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20, and the lower end of the rotational conversion section 63 has an opening in the housing space 631 that can accommodate the valve stem portion 23 (see Figure 6). The rotational conversion section 63 is also provided with two spiral grooves 632 facing each other in the circumferential direction to guide the locking pin 24 of the valve body member 20.

[0108] The spiral groove 632 is formed with a groove width that allows the locking pin 24 of the valve body member 20 to pass through, and its lower end is open. It is formed in a spiral shape that gradually rotates clockwise in a plan view from the lower HD to the upper HU.

[0109] Specifically, one of the two helical grooves 632 is positioned on the front side and opens at the lower end of the rotational conversion section 63, and is formed to gradually move towards the left side WL toward the upper side HU. In contrast, the other helical groove 632 is positioned on the back side and opens at the lower end of the rotational conversion section 63, and is formed to gradually move towards the right side WR toward the upper side HU.

[0110] Thus, the two helical grooves 632 are arranged to be point-symmetrical in a plan view. The helical grooves 632 are formed in a spiral shape that is 90 degrees plus a predetermined angle in a plan view. The cylindrical shaft portion 61, the rack gear portion 62, and the rotational conversion portion 63 configured as described above are each formed to be approximately the same length along the height direction H.

[0111] As described above, the upper cover member 40 and the operation conversion member 60, which constitute each element, are arranged such that the operation conversion member 60 is housed in the housing space 411 of the cover body 41 of the upper cover member 40. At this time, the cylindrical shaft portion 61 of the operation conversion member 60 is inserted through the insertion hole 412 of the housing space 411, and the rack gear 621 of the rack gear portion 62 is positioned to face the right WR in the housing space 411. Furthermore, the upper part of the rotation conversion portion 63 is housed in the housing space 411, and the lower part of the rotation conversion portion 63 protrudes downward HD from the bottom surface of the connecting flange 43.

[0112] Furthermore, the operating unit 50, which comprises the elements described above, houses the pinion gear 53 in the gear housing space 421, connects one end of the connecting shaft 52 that passes through the insertion hole 422 to the pinion gear 53, and connects the other end of the connecting shaft 52 to the rotary handle 51.

[0113] This allows the operating unit 50 to be assembled to the upper cover member 40. At this time, a portion of the left side WL of the pinion gear 53 housed in the gear housing space 421 protrudes into the housing space 411, so that the gear teeth 531 of the pinion gear 53 and the rack gear 621 of the rack gear portion 62 of the operating conversion member 60 housed in the housing space 411 mesh together, and the assembly of the operating mechanism Y is completed. Note that the assembly of the operating unit 50 and the operating conversion member 60 to the upper cover member 40 can be done in either order.

[0114] In the operating mechanism Y configured in this way, the rack gear 621 of the rack gear portion 62 of the operating conversion member 60 housed in the housing space 411 meshes with the gear teeth 531 of the pinion gear 53 housed in the gear housing space 421 of the gear housing portion 42. Therefore, when a user rotates the rotary handle 51, the pinion gear 53 rotates via the connecting shaft 52, and the operating conversion member 60 having the rack gear 621 that meshes with the gear teeth 531 can be moved in the height direction H.

[0115] The assembly of the operating mechanism Y configured in this way and the main body mechanism X configured as described above will be explained below. First, in the operating mechanism Y, the locking pin 24 attached to the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20, which protrudes upward HU from the upper flange 122U of the upper valve body 120, is inserted into the helical groove 632 of the rotational conversion portion 63, which protrudes downward HD from the bottom surface of the connecting flange 43.

[0116] Then, the connecting flange 43 of the upper cover member 40 is stacked with the upper flange 122U of the upper valve body 120 of the valve body 10, and bolts (not shown) are fastened to assemble the valve body 10 and the upper cover member 40, thereby forming the flow path switching valve 1 which consists of the main body mechanism X and the operating mechanism Y.

[0117] In this state, the lower part of the rotational conversion section 63 of the operating conversion member 60 is housed in the upper internal space IAU of the upper valve body 120, and the locking pin 24, which is positioned on the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U, is housed in a concave groove 431 provided on the bottom surface of the connecting flange 43 of the upper cover member 40.

[0118] Furthermore, the sealing member 30, which is fitted onto the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20 and placed in the lower housing space IAD, reliably seals the space between the valve stem portion 23 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body portion 121. More specifically, in the valve body 10 having a flow path R, a path is formed between the rotating valve stem portion 23 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body portion 121 through which a fluid that conducts the flow path R is formed via the valve chamber C. The sealing member 30 is fitted onto the valve stem portion 23 of the valve body member 20 and placed in the lower housing space IAD.

[0119] Furthermore, O-rings 32 and 33 are placed between the inner circumferential surface of the retainer 31 and the outer circumferential surface of the valve stem portion 23, and between the outer circumferential surface of the retainer 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the conical surface 211. In this way, the spaces between the inner circumferential surface of the retainer 31 and the outer circumferential surface of the valve stem portion 23, and between the outer circumferential surface of the retainer 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the conical surface 211 can be sealed with the O-rings 32 and 33.

[0120] Furthermore, since the two sealing members 30 are stacked in the height direction H, the sealing performance can be improved compared to when only one sealing member 30 is installed. Specifically, the fluid conducting through the flow path R is first sealed by O-rings 32 and 33 between the inner circumferential surface of the retainer 31 of the lower sealing member 30 and the outer circumferential surface of the valve stem portion 23, and between the outer circumferential surface of the retainer 31 and the inner circumferential surface of the conical surface 211. However, if a pressure exceeding the corresponding pressure of the O-rings 32 and 33 is applied, or if the O-rings 32 and 33 deteriorate, the fluid may penetrate beyond the lower sealing member 30 into the upper HU. Even in such cases, since another sealing member 30 is placed on the upper HU of the lower sealing member 30, the space between the rotating valve stem portion 23 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body portion 121 can be reliably sealed.

[0121] Next, the on-off operation of the flow path switching valve 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 15. The on-off operation of the flow path switching valve 1 is performed by rotating the rotary handle 51 of the operating mechanism Y by the user. First, the rotary handle 51 is rotated to open the valve, as shown in Figure 15(a), so that the conductive hole 212 of the cock portion 21 of the valve body member 20 communicates with the flow path R. Note that the operating mechanism Y and the main body mechanism X may be assembled in advance so that the valve is in the open state.

[0122] Specifically, the rotary handle 51 is rotated in the valve-opening direction to set the operation conversion member 60 to its upper end position. In this state, the locking pin 24 of the valve body member 20 is positioned near the end of the lower HD in the spiral groove 632. Also, as shown in Figures 10 and 13, the locking pin 24 positioned on the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U is positioned in a circumferential direction approximately perpendicular to the allowable recess 127 on the peripheral surface 1221 in a plan view, and the conduction hole 212 of the cock portion 21 has its through direction in the width direction W, resulting in an open valve state that communicates with the flow paths R on both sides, as shown in Figure 15(a).

[0123] In this embodiment, when the rotary handle 51 is rotated clockwise in a front view, the pinion gear 53 rotates clockwise, and the operating conversion member 60, which engages with the gear teeth 531 of the pinion gear 53 and the housing space 631 of the rotation conversion unit 63, moves to the upper HU. Conversely, when the rotary handle 51 is rotated counterclockwise in a front view, the pinion gear 53 rotates counterclockwise, and the operating conversion member 60, which engages with the gear teeth 531 of the pinion gear 53 and the housing space 631 of the rotation conversion unit 63, moves to the lower HD.

[0124] Next, the operation from the open state to the closed state will be described. In order to change from the open state to the closed state, the rotary handle 51 is rotated to move the operation conversion member 60 of the open state to the lower HD, as shown in Figure 15(b). In this embodiment, as described above, the rotary handle 51 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the front.

[0125] When the operating conversion member 60 moves to the lower HD by rotating the rotary handle 51 in the valve closing direction, the helical groove 632 also moves to the lower HD. However, the locking pin 24 fitted into the helical groove 632 is restricted from moving to the lower HD by the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U.

[0126] Therefore, along the helical groove 632 that moves toward the lower HD, the locking pin 24 moves toward the upper HU relative to the helical groove 632 and slides circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U. In this embodiment, the helical groove 632 is formed in a spiral shape that gradually rotates clockwise in a plan view from the lower HD toward the upper HU, so the locking pin 24 is guided by the helical groove 632 and slides circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221 in a clockwise direction in a plan view.

[0127] In this manner, the locking pin 24, which is guided by the helical groove 632 that moves toward the lower HD and slides circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221, is inserted and fixed in the pin mounting hole 231 of the valve stem portion 23. Therefore, the entire valve body member 20 rotates together with the locking pin 24 around the axial direction (rotation axis Ra) of the valve stem portion 23.

[0128] When the valve body member 20 rotates around its axial direction (rotation axis Ra), the conductive hole 212 of the cock portion 21, which penetrated in the width direction W and communicated with the pair of flow paths R in the open valve state, now penetrates in a horizontal direction that intersects with the direction connecting the pair of flow paths R (width direction W) in a plan view.

[0129] Furthermore, by rotating the rotary handle 51 in the valve closing direction, the operating conversion member 60 is moved to the lower HD, and the locking pin 24 slides circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U to a circumferential position 90 degrees in a plan view relative to the circumferential position in the open state. As shown in Figure 15(c), the conduction hole 212 of the cock portion 21 penetrates in the depth direction D, which is perpendicular in a plan view to the direction (width direction W) connecting the pair of flow paths R.

[0130] In this state, the seat ring 133, which protrudes slightly from the end of the flow path R in the width direction W toward the valve chamber C, is in close contact with the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21. As a result, the cock portion 21 is in a sealed state, blocking electrical contact between the pair of flow paths R located on both sides in the width direction W. Thus, the rotational position in which the cock portion 21 seals electrical contact between the pair of flow paths R is defined as the valve closed rotational position.

[0131] In this state, the locking pin 24, which has slid circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221 of the upper flange 122U to a circumferential position 90 degrees in a plan view relative to the circumferential position in the open state, is located on the upper HU of the allowable recess 127, and the restriction on movement toward the lower HD by the peripheral surface 1221 is released.

[0132] Furthermore, when the operating conversion member 60 is moved to the lower HD by further rotation of the rotating handle 51 in the valve-closing direction from the valve-closing rotation position, the restriction on movement to the lower HD by the peripheral surface 1221 is released, and the locking pin 24 moves to the lower HD so as to fit into the allowable recess 127 (referred to as the pushed-in state).

[0133] When the locking pin 24 moves to the lower HD so that it fits in, the cock portion 21, which is in the closed valve rotation position, moves to the lower HD in the substantially frustoconical valve chamber C where the lower HD has a smaller diameter, as shown in Figures 11, 14 and 15(d). When the cock portion 21 moves to the lower HD, the degree of contact between the seat ring 133, which protrudes slightly toward the valve chamber C from the end in the width direction W of the flow path R, and the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21 increases, improving the sealing performance in the closed valve state.

[0134] Conversely, to change from the closed valve state shown in Figure 15(d) to the open valve state shown in Figure 15(a), the rotary handle 51 is rotated in the valve-opening direction, which guides the locking pin 24 to move to the upper HU by the helical groove 632. Since the locking pin 24 is not restricted from moving in the height direction H, the locking pin 24 will escape from the allowable recess 127 (see Figure 15(c)).

[0135] Then, by rotating the rotary handle 51 in the direction of further valve opening, the locking pin 24 attempts to move to the upper HU by the helical groove 632, but the upper surface of the cock portion 21 comes into contact with the protruding cylindrical portion 125 inserted into the disc portion C1 of the valve chamber C, thereby restricting further movement of the upper HU of the cock portion 21. In addition, since the sliding ring 26 is fitted onto the base portion 22 on the upper surface of the cock portion 21, the highly slippery sliding ring 26 is interposed between the upper surface of the cock portion 21 and the protruding cylindrical portion 125.

[0136] Furthermore, when the rotary handle 51 is rotated in the valve-opening direction, the movement of the upper HU of the cock portion 21 is restricted by the protruding cylindrical portion 125. As a result, the locking pin 24 moves in the valve-opening direction along the circumferential direction relative to the peripheral surface 1221 by the helical groove 632, and the valve body member 20 rotates in the valve-opening direction around the axial direction along the height direction H (see Figure 15(b)). At this time, a highly slippery sliding ring 26 is interposed between the upper surface of the cock portion 21 and the protruding cylindrical portion 125, allowing the valve body member 20 to rotate smoothly.

[0137] In this way, when the rotary handle 51 is rotated in the valve-opening direction and the operating conversion member 60 reaches the upper end position, the conduction hole 212 of the cock section 21 becomes open, with the through-direction being the width direction W, and communicating with the flow paths R on both sides (see Figure 15(a)).

[0138] The flow path switching valve 1 configured as described above includes a cock portion 21 formed in a substantially frustoconical shape with the rotation axis Ra as the height direction H, a valve chamber C housing the cock portion 21, and a flow path R communicating through the valve chamber C, an operating mechanism Y for switching the cock portion 21 between an open state and a closed state, and a seat ring 133 that seals the space between the opening of the flow path R in the valve chamber C and the cock portion 21 in the closed state. The seat ring 133 is formed to follow the cylindrical body portion 121 of the cock portion 21, and in the rotational direction of the cock portion 21, the position of the cock portion 21 where the conductive hole 212 communicates with the flow path R is the open rotation position, and the position of the cock portion 21 where it seals the flow paths R after rotating 90 degrees from the open rotation position is the closed rotation position. Furthermore, the cock portion 21 is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, and a locking pin 24 and a helical groove 632 are provided to move the cock portion 21 downward HD by further moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction. Therefore, a high contact pressure can be obtained while suppressing an increase in operating force.

[0139] More specifically, the flow path switching valve 1 has a passage hole 212 that penetrates horizontally and intersects the rotation axis Ra, a cock portion 21 formed in a substantially frustoconical shape with the rotation axis Ra as the height direction H, a valve casing 10 having a valve chamber C that houses the cock portion 21, and a flow path R that communicates through the valve chamber C, an operating mechanism Y for switching the cock portion 21 between an open state and a closed state, and a seat ring 133 that seals the space between the opening of the flow path R in the valve chamber C and the cock portion 21 in the closed state. In the rotation direction of the cock portion 21, the position of the cock portion 21 where the passage hole 212 communicates with the flow path R is defined as the open rotation position, and the position of the cock portion 21 where it seals the flow paths R after rotating 90 degrees from the open rotation position is defined as the closed rotation position.

[0140] Therefore, by rotating the cock portion 21 located in the valve chamber C of the valve body 10 to the open valve position, it is possible to connect the flow path R communicating through the valve chamber C with the conduit hole 212 of the cock portion 21 to create a conductive state, or to rotate the cock portion 21 to the closed valve position where the conduit hole 212 of the cock portion 21 faces the depth direction D relative to the communication direction of the two communicating flow paths R to create a sealed state, or to connect a predetermined flow path R with the conduit hole 212 to switch the flow path R through which the fluid is conducted, or to adjust the amount of conduction.

[0141] Furthermore, the seat ring 133 is formed to conform to the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21, and the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 rotate the cock portion 21 from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, and move the cock portion 21 to the lower HD without rotating it by further moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction.

[0142] As a result, the cock portion 21, which has moved from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y, can be sealed together with the seat ring 133. Furthermore, by further movement operation of the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, the cock portion 21 is moved to the lower HD without rotating it, so the contact surface pressure between the seat ring 133, which is formed to follow the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21, and the cock portion 21 that is moving to the lower HD can be increased without increasing the operating force of the operating mechanism Y.

[0143] In this way, by moving the cock portion 21 from the closed valve rotation position to the lower HD, the contact pressure between the seat ring 133 and the cock portion 21 is increased. Therefore, the contact pressure between the cock portion 21 and the seat ring 133 when rotating from the open valve rotation position to the closed valve rotation position is not high, and an increase in operating force can be suppressed. Then, by further movement of the operating mechanism Y, the cock portion 21, which has rotated from the open valve rotation position to the closed valve rotation position with a small operating force, moves to the lower HD, increasing the contact pressure between the seat ring 133 and the cock portion 21, thus obtaining a high contact pressure. Therefore, even when sealing the flow of fluids with small molecular sizes or fluids at extremely low temperatures such as cryogenic temperatures, the fluid will not leak out from between the seat ring 133 and the cock portion 21, and the flow path R can be reliably sealed.

[0144] Furthermore, the valve chamber C has a frustoconical portion C2, which is a frustoconical space having an inner surface that follows the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21, and the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 move the cock portion 21 to the lower HD of the valve chamber C having the frustoconical portion C2. Therefore, compared to the case where the seat ring 133 fitted to the opening of the cylindrical valve chamber C is formed to follow the conical surface 211 of the cock portion 21, the contact pressure with the cock portion 21 can be increased with a simpler seat ring 133 structure, and since the amount of protrusion from the conical surface 211 becomes approximately equal along the opening, a stable and high contact pressure can be obtained.

[0145] Furthermore, since the predetermined direction of movement of the operation conversion member 60 due to the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y, that is, the rotation operation of the rotary handle 51, is parallel to the rotation axis Ra, the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y is a direction that intersects the rotation axis Ra, and compared to the case where the movement operation in the intersecting direction is transmitted to the cock unit 21 by changing its direction, the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y can be transmitted to the cock unit 21 with a simpler structure. Therefore, compared to the case where the movement operation in the intersecting direction is transmitted to the cock unit 21 by changing its direction, the operating force of the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y can be transmitted to the cock unit 21 more efficiently.

[0146] Furthermore, since the valve chamber C has a lower HD at the tip end in a predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y that rotates the cock portion 21 from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position, simply by moving the operating mechanism Y toward the tip end in a predetermined direction, the operating force from the movement operation of the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction can be directly applied to the cock portion 21, thereby moving the cock portion 21 to the lower HD.

[0147] Furthermore, a valve stem portion 23 is provided for rotating the cock portion 21 housed in the valve chamber C. The locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 are configured to rotate the valve stem portion 23 so that the cock portion 21 is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, and to move the valve stem portion 23 so that the cock portion 21 is moved to the lower side HD of the valve chamber C by further moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction.

[0148] Therefore, by simply moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 rotate the cock portion 21 from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position via the valve stem portion 23, and further movement of the operating mechanism Y in the predetermined direction can move the cock portion 21 to the lower HD.

[0149] Furthermore, the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 are provided with a peripheral surface 1221 that restricts movement toward the lower HD when the valve stem portion 23 is rotated so that the cock portion 21 is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction, and a permissive recess 127 that allows movement toward the lower HD by further moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction.

[0150] Therefore, although the valve stem portion 23 rotates when the operating mechanism Y is moved in a predetermined direction, the movement of the lower HD is restricted by the peripheral surface 1221, so that the cock portion 21 can rotate between the open valve rotation position and the closed valve rotation position within the valve chamber C without moving to the lower HD. Furthermore, when the operating mechanism Y is moved further in a predetermined direction by the allowable recess 127, the movement of the valve stem portion 23 to the lower HD is permitted, so that the cock portion 21 in the closed valve rotation position can be moved to the lower HD.

[0151] Furthermore, the operating mechanism Y has a rotational conversion section 63 capable of housing the upper part of the valve stem portion 23. The upper part of the valve stem portion 23 is housed in the rotational conversion section 63, and a locking pin 24 is provided on the upper part of the valve stem portion 23 housed in the rotational conversion section 63, projecting radially outward. The rotational conversion section 63 is also provided with a helical groove 632 that guides the locking pin 24. In addition, the direction in which the cock portion 21 rotates from the open rotational position to the closed rotational position is defined as the closed rotational direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the reverse rotational direction. The helical groove 632 has a helical shape directed toward the reverse rotational direction, and the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632 constitute the locking pin 24 and the helical groove 632. Therefore, the valve stem portion 23 can be rotated by moving the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction using the locking pin 24 and helical groove 632, which have a simple structure.

[0152] More specifically, the valve stem portion 23 is provided with a locking pin 24 that protrudes radially outward from the upper part housed in the rotational conversion section 63, and a helical groove 632 for guiding the locking pin 24 is provided in the rotational conversion section 63. The helical groove 632 is formed in a helical shape that faces in the reverse rotation direction. Therefore, when the operating mechanism Y is moved in a predetermined direction, the movement of the lower HD of the locking pin 24 is restricted by the peripheral surface 1221 of the valve stem portion 23, and the locking pin 24 is guided by the helical groove 632, allowing the valve stem portion 23 to be reliably rotated in the closing rotation direction.

[0153] Furthermore, the locking pin 24 is formed to a length that penetrates the helical groove 632 and protrudes to the outside of the rotational conversion section 63. The valve body 10 is provided with a peripheral surface 1221 that restricts the movement of the locking pin 24 toward the lower HD and is circumferentially slidable, and is also provided with a permissible recess 127 that is concave in the closed valve rotation position on the peripheral surface 1221, allowing the locking pin 24 to move toward the lower HD.

[0154] Therefore, the locking pin 24 guided by the helical groove 632 slides against the peripheral surface 1221, allowing the valve stem portion 23 to rotate while restricting movement in a predetermined direction. Then, at the closed valve rotation position on the peripheral surface 1221, further movement of the operating mechanism Y in a predetermined direction causes the locking pin 24 to become concave, allowing it to move toward the lower HD, and to fit into the allowable recess 127, thereby allowing it to move toward the lower HD.

[0155] (Second Embodiment) A flow path switching valve 1A will be described in the following drawings as an embodiment of the invention of the second embodiment. In the following description of the flow path switching valve 1A, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those of the flow path switching valve 1 described above, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0156] Figure 16 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in perspective view, and Figure 17 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in left side view view. More specifically, Figure 16(a) shows schematic perspective views of the front, right side, and top of the flow path switching valve 1A, and Figure 16(b) shows schematic perspective views of the rear, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1A. Note that in Figure 16, the rectangular cover 42A and the connecting flange 113 are shown in a transparent state.

[0157] Figure 17(a) shows a left side view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, and Figure 17(b) shows a left side view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state. Note that in Figure 17, the connecting flange 113 is not shown, and the upper cover member 40A is shown in a transparent state.

[0158] Figures 18 and 19 show explanatory diagrams of the flow path switching valve 1A in cross-sectional view. Figure 18(a) of Figure 18, which shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state as seen from the line J-J in Figure 16(a), and Figure 18(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state as seen from the line M-M in Figure 18(a). Figure 19(a) of Figure 19, which shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state as seen from the line J-J in Figure 16(a), and Figure 19(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state as seen from the line N-N in Figure 19(a).

[0159] Figures 20 and 21 show exploded perspective views of the flow path switching valve 1A. Specifically, Figure 20 shows exploded perspective views of the front, right side, and top of the flow path switching valve 1A, and Figure 21 shows exploded perspective views of the rear, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1A. Note that Figure 20 shows enlarged views of parts e and f, and Figure 21 shows an enlarged view of part g.

[0160] Figure 22 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A. More specifically, Figure 22 shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the view along the line J-J in Figure 16(a). Figure 23 shows an explanatory diagram of the valve body member 20A, and Figure 24 shows an explanatory diagram of the operation conversion member 60A. More specifically, Figure 23(a) shows a cross-sectional view of the valve body member 20A in the view along the line N-N in Figure 19(a), Figure 23(b) shows a cross-sectional view of Figure 23(a) in the view along the line O-O, Figure 24(a) shows a left side view of the operation conversion member 60A, and Figure 24(b) shows a cross-sectional view of Figure 24(a) in the view along the line P-P.

[0161] Figure 25 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, using a perspective view. Specifically, Figures 25(a) and (b) show schematic perspective views of the front, left side, and top view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state. Figure 26 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state, using a perspective view. Specifically, Figures 26(a) and (b) show schematic perspective views of the front, right side, and top view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state.

[0162] Figure 27 shows an explanatory diagram of the flow path switching valve 1A in a perspective view. Specifically, Figure 27(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the back, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, and Figure 27(b) shows a schematic perspective view of the back, left side, and bottom of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state. Note that in Figures 25 to 27, the valve body 110A, connecting flange 113, and upper cover member 40A are not shown, and the seat ring unit 130A is shown in a transparent state.

[0163] Figures 28 and 29 show explanatory diagrams of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1A in an enlarged view. Specifically, Figure 28(a) of Figure 28, which shows an explanatory diagram of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state taken along the line K-K in Figure 17(a), and Figure 28(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line Q-Q in Figure 28(a). Furthermore, Figure 29(a) of Figure 29, which shows an explanatory diagram of the main parts of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state, shows a cross-sectional view of the closed flow path switching valve 1A taken along the line L-L in Figure 17(b), and Figure 29(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the same state taken along the line R-R in Figure 29(a).

[0164] Figure 30 shows an explanatory diagram of the opening and closing operation of the flow path switching valve 1A using a cross-sectional view. Specifically, Figure 30 shows cross-sectional views of the flow path switching valve 1A in each state, taken along the line J-J in Figure 16(a). Figure 30(a) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the open state, taken along the line J-J in Figure 30(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed rotation position, and Figure 30(c) shows a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching valve 1A in the closed state, taken along the line J-J.

[0165] In addition, as with the description of the flow path switching valve 1, some illustrations of bolt holes for inserting and fastening bolts, the bolts themselves, and O-rings have been omitted from the drawings above. In Figure 16(a), the vertical direction is defined as the height direction H, the direction connecting the upper left and lower right is defined as the width direction W, and the direction connecting the upper right and lower left is defined as the depth direction D. Furthermore, in Figures 20 to 22, the dashed line along the height direction H represents the rotation axis Ra, which is the central axis when the valve body member 20A rotates.

[0166] The flow path switching valve 1A, like the flow path switching valve 1, is connected to a pipeline (not shown) such as a pipe arranged along the width direction W, and is a valve device for allowing, sealing, or adjusting the flow of fluids such as liquids or gases flowing through the pipeline by rotating the cock portion 21A.

[0167] The flow path switching valve 1A comprises a main body mechanism XA having at least a valve body member 20A and a valve casing 10A having a flow path F along the width direction W, and an operating mechanism YA mounted on the upper part of the main body mechanism XA and having at least an operating conversion member 60A.

[0168] The main mechanism XA comprises a valve body 10A and a valve element member 20A. Although the main mechanism X had two sealing members 30, the main mechanism XA has two bearings 30A in the operating mechanism YA. The valve body 10A comprises a valve body 110A positioned in the center in the width direction W and having valve chambers CA connecting the flow paths R inside, an upper valve body 120A assembled to the upper part of the valve body 110A, and seat ring units 130A positioned on both sides in the width direction W.

[0169] The valve body 110A comprises a roughly disc-shaped central portion 111A having a protrusion that projects toward the lower side HD, and side portions 112A that project from the central portion 111A toward both sides in the width direction W and have connecting flanges 113 at their ends.

[0170] The valve body 110A contains a pair of flow paths R and a valve chamber CA that communicates with the flow paths R. Specifically, a roughly frustoconical valve chamber CA with an open upper HU is provided in the center of the central portion 111A in a plan view, and flow paths R, which are lateral cylindrical spaces that communicate with the valve chamber CA, are provided in the center of the side view of both side portions 112A, with their ends in the width direction W open. The outer end of the flow path R in the width direction W opens in a circular shape in the center of the side view of the connecting flange 113.

[0171] As shown in Figure 22, the valve chamber CA, as described above, has a disc portion C1 which is a roughly disc-shaped space located on the upper HU, and a frustoconical portion C2 which is a frustoconical space located on the lower HD which is tapered toward the lower HD, meaning that the lower HD has a smaller diameter. In addition, a recess 114 for accommodating the support shaft 213 of the valve body member 20A, which will be described later, is provided in the center of the lower end of the frustoconical portion C2 in a plan view.

[0172] Unlike the upper valve body 120, the upper valve body 120A, which is assembled to the valve body main body 110A to form the valve body 10A, has a cylindrical main body portion 121A located in the center in plan view, and a connecting flange 122A that is approximately square in plan view and located on the upper side HU of the cylindrical main body portion 121A. In the center in plan view, there is a shaft insertion hole 123A that penetrates in the height direction H and through which the base portion 22A of the cock portion 21A and the valve stem portion 23A are inserted.

[0173] The cylindrical body portion 121A is cylindrical in shape and is inserted into the disc portion C1 provided on the upper HU of the central portion 111A. The connecting flange 122A is positioned on the upper HU of the cylindrical body portion 121A and is fixed to the upper surface of the central portion 111A when assembled with the valve body 110A.

[0174] The shaft insertion hole 123A is formed to connect, in this order, a lower housing space 1231A that houses the base portion 22A of the valve body member 20A (described later), a shaft insertion space 1232A which has a smaller diameter than the lower housing space 1231A and through which the valve stem portion 23A is inserted, and an upper housing space 1233A which has a larger diameter than the shaft insertion space 1232A and houses the lower half portion of the guide cylindrical portion 61A of the operating conversion member 60A (described later).

[0175] Furthermore, the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A is provided with a restricting projection 126A that protrudes toward the upper HU along the peripheral surface 1221A, which is the opening edge of the shaft insertion hole 123A, and an allowable recess 127 that is adjacent to the restricting projection 126A in the circumferential direction and is concave toward the lower HD.

[0176] The restrictive projection 126A is positioned on the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A and is formed in a substantially arc shape with a height approximately the same as the outer diameter of the locking pin 24A, which will be described later. The allowable recess 127 is formed to accommodate the end of the locking pin 24A and is adjacent to the restrictive projection 126A in a counterclockwise direction. More specifically, the allowable recess 127 is positioned along the counterclockwise end of the substantially arc-shaped restrictive projection 126A. Furthermore, the restrictive projection 126A and the allowable recess 127 are provided in two locations facing each other on the peripheral surface 1221A of the circular shaft insertion hole 123A in plan view.

[0177] The valve body 110A and upper valve body 120A configured in this way are assembled by inserting the cylindrical body portion 121A into the disc portion C1 of the valve chamber CA that opens to the upper HU of the central portion 111A, from the upper HU of the box body 110A, which houses the valve element member 20A described later in the valve chamber CA. At this time, the connecting flange 122A is stacked so that the bottom surface faces the upper surface of the central portion 111A of the valve body 110A, and the connecting flange 122A is fixed to the central portion 111A with bolts or the like (not shown), thereby forming a valve body 10A that communicates the valve chamber CA and the flow path R.

[0178] The seat ring unit 130A, which is fitted into the flow path R provided inside both sides 112A of the valve body 110A, has a fixing ring 131A, a spacer 132A, a seat ring 133A, and a clip 134A that fixes the seat ring 133A to the spacer 132A, extending from the outside to the inside in the width direction W (see Figures 20 and 21).

[0179] The seat ring 133A is a horizontally oriented cylindrical shape that is longer in the width direction W than the seat ring 133 described above, and its end structure is the same as that of the seat ring 133 described above. The spacer 132A is a horizontally oriented cylindrical body for precisely positioning the seat ring 133A in the above-mentioned position, similar to the spacer 132 described above, and comprises an inner positioning portion 1321 and a cylindrical body portion 1322, but is formed with a shorter length in the width direction W than the spacer 132 described above.

[0180] The fixing ring 131A, like the fixing ring 131, is fixed by inserting and screwing a threaded portion 1311, which is provided on the inner tip side in the width direction W, from the outer end in the width direction W of the flow path R. The clip 134A rotatably connects the seat ring 133A to the spacer 132A. The clip 134A is a horizontally oriented, substantially cylindrical shape, and has four locking claws in the circumferential direction that pass through the seat ring 133A and engage with the inner surface of the spacer 132A.

[0181] In this manner, the seat ring unit 130A, comprising each element, is assembled by fitting the seat ring 133A into the inner arrangement portion 1321 of the spacer 132A, and inserting the clip 134A from the inside in the width direction W to connect the seat ring 133A to the spacer 132A and inserting it into the flow path R. Then, by screwing the fixing ring 131A into the flow path R toward the outside in the width direction W of the spacer 132A, the end of the seat ring 133A can be assembled to the valve body 110A in such a manner that the end of the seat ring 133A protrudes slightly into the valve chamber CA from the inside end in the width direction W of the flow path R. Note that the spacer 132A, seat ring 133A, and clip 134A may be inserted into the flow path R from the valve chamber CA, that is, from the inside in the width direction W, or they may be inserted into the flow path R from the outside in the width direction W. In addition, the fixing ring 131A may be integrally formed at the outside end in the width direction W of the flow path R.

[0182] At this time, since the clip 134A is inserted from the inside in the width direction W, the seat ring 133A is rotatably connected to the spacer 132A. The amount of protrusion of the seat ring 133A, which slightly protrudes into the valve chamber CA, is substantially uniform along the circumferential direction of the opening in the flow path R.

[0183] The valve body member 20A includes a cock portion 21A located on the lower HD, a base portion 22A located above the cock portion 21A and having a smaller diameter than the cock portion 21A, a valve stem portion 23A extending from the base portion 22A toward the upper HU, a locking pin 24A, and a sliding ring (not shown).

[0184] The cock portion 21A is formed in a substantially frustoconical shape with a conical surface 211A that tapers in diameter toward the lower HD and is inclined with respect to the height direction H, and has a conductive hole 212A that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H (horizontal direction) approximately in the center in the height direction H (see Figure 23).

[0185] The conduit hole 212A is roughly barrel-shaped, with its ends having a smaller diameter than the aforementioned flow path R and its center having approximately the same diameter as the flow path R. It is a through-hole that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H (horizontal direction). The conduit hole 212A is formed at a position in the height direction H where the flow path R and the conduit hole 212A communicate with each other when the cock portion 21A is positioned in the valve chamber CA. The bottom surface of the cock portion 21A has a cylindrical support shaft 213 that protrudes downward towards the lower side HD from the center when viewed from the bottom. The support shaft 213 is inserted into a housing recess 114 provided at the bottom of the valve chamber CA of the valve body 110A.

[0186] The base portion 22A is positioned on the upper surface of the cock portion 21A, is disc-shaped with a smaller diameter than the cock portion 21A and a predetermined height, and is configured to accommodate an O-ring (not shown). The valve stem portion 23A is a cylindrical body extending from the upper surface of the base portion 22A toward the upper side HU. The valve stem portion 23A is formed with a diameter of about 1 / 4 of the maximum diameter of the cock portion 21A and with a length of about the same as the height of the cock portion 21A (length in the height direction H). The cock portion 21A, base portion 22A, and valve stem portion 23A may be formed as a single unit, or they may be formed as separate parts and assembled together.

[0187] The upper part of the valve stem portion 23A is provided with locking pins 24A that protrude on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H (horizontal direction). The locking pins 24A may be inserted through a through hole provided in the upper part of the valve stem portion 23A and fixed with a pin fixing bolt, similar to the locking pin 24 described above.

[0188] The locking pin 24A is a long cylindrical shape that extends horizontally from the valve stem portion 23A in a direction perpendicular to the height direction H (horizontal direction), and protrudes laterally from the side surface of the valve stem portion 23A by the same length.

[0189] The valve body 10A, with each element configured as described above, has a valve body 110A with a seat ring unit 130A mounted in the flow path R on both sides 112A, and the cock portion 21A of the valve body member 20A is positioned in the valve chamber CA from the upper side HU. At this time, as described above, in the cock portion 21A, the support shaft 213 is inserted into a receiving recess 114 provided at the bottom of the valve chamber CA. As a result, the valve body member 20A with the cock portion 21A positioned in the valve chamber CA becomes rotatable around the support shaft 213 relative to the valve body 110A. In addition, the seat ring 133A, which protrudes slightly from the end in the width direction W of the flow path R toward the valve chamber CA, is in close contact with the conical surface 211A of the cock portion 21A.

[0190] Furthermore, the base portion 22A and valve stem portion 23A of the valve body member 20A, in which the cock portion 21A is housed in the valve chamber CA, protrude from the upper surface of the central portion 111A of the valve body 110A. The upper valve body 120A is then assembled to the valve body 110A so that the valve stem portion 23A is inserted into the insertion hole 124, and the upper valve body 120A is stacked on the upper surface of the central portion 111A. By fastening fixing bolts (not shown), the valve body 10A in which the cock portion 21A is housed in the valve chamber CA is formed, and the main body mechanism XA is formed. At this time, the locking pin 24A provided on 064 of the valve stem portion 23A is positioned to contact the peripheral edge surface 1221A of the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A.

[0191] Next, the operating mechanism YA, which is mounted on the upper part of the main body mechanism XA and constitutes the flow path switching valve 1A, will be described. The operating mechanism YA, which is mounted on the upper part of the main body mechanism XA, includes a bearing 30A corresponding to the sealing member 30 of the main body mechanism X, an upper cover member 40A mounted on the upper part of the valve body 10A, and an operating conversion member 60A. The operating conversion member 60A functions as an integrated unit of the operating unit 50 and the operating conversion member 60 in the operating mechanism Y.

[0192] The upper cover member 40A consists of a roughly disc-shaped cover body 41A capable of accommodating the central portion in the height direction of the roughly cylindrical operation conversion member 60A, and a rectangular cover 42A that is roughly square in plan view and positioned on the upper HU of the cover body 41A.

[0193] The cover body 41A is roughly ring-shaped with a predetermined height, having an outer diameter slightly larger than the cylindrical body portion 121A of the upper valve box 120A and an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical body portion 121A. It is positioned below the center HD in the height direction H and has a partition wall 411A that protrudes inward from the inner circumferential surface. The partition wall 411A has a through hole 412A in the center of the plan view that penetrates in the height direction H, through which the guide cylindrical portion 61A of the operation conversion member 60A, which will be described later, can be inserted.

[0194] In the cover body 41A, a lower housing space 413A capable of accommodating the regulating projection 126A is formed below HD from the partition wall 411A, and a disc-shaped upper housing space 414A capable of accommodating the lower disc portion 62A, the large-diameter disc portion 63A, and the upper disc portion 64A of the operation conversion member 60A, as well as the two bearings 30A, is formed above HU from the partition wall 411A. The cover body 41A configured in this way can be fixed to the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A of the upper valve body 120A with fixing bolts or the like.

[0195] The rectangular cover 42A is approximately square in plan view and is slightly larger than the connecting flange 122A of the upper valve body 120A. It has a through hole 421A in the center of the plan view that penetrates in the height direction H, through which the small diameter insertion portion 65A of the operating conversion member 60A can be inserted. The rectangular cover 42A configured in this way can be fixed to the upper surface of the cover body 41A with fixing bolts or the like.

[0196] As shown in Figure 24, the operation conversion member 60A, which combines the functions of the operation unit 50 and the operation conversion member 60 in the main mechanism X, is arranged in the following order from the lower HD to the upper HU: a cylindrical guide cylinder portion 61A having a guide groove 611A (described later), a lower disc portion 62A which is larger in diameter than the guide cylinder portion 61A, a large-diameter disc portion 63A which is larger in diameter than the lower disc portion 62A and is the largest diameter in the operation conversion member 60A, an upper disc portion 64A which is the same diameter as the lower disc portion 62A, a small-diameter insertion portion 65A which is smaller in diameter than the upper disc portion 64A and is inserted into the through hole 421A, and a rectangular prism-shaped operation column portion 66A which protrudes upward from the small-diameter insertion portion 65A, and is integrated into one unit.

[0197] The guide cylinder portion 61A is cylindrical in shape and has a cylindrical space inside with an open lower HD so that the valve stem portion 23A, which has a locking pin 24A at its upper part, can be accommodated from below. Guide grooves 611A for loosely fitting and guiding the locking pin 24A are provided at two points symmetrical when viewed from the bottom.

[0198] As shown in Figure 24, the guide groove 611A that guides the locking pin 24A is formed with a groove width slightly wider than the diameter of the locking pin 24A, allowing the locking pin 24A to be loosely fitted and guided inside the groove. The guide groove 611A has a groove shape in which a straight groove 612A extends from the end of the lower HD of the guide cylindrical portion 61A toward the upper HU to approximately the center of the height H of the guide cylindrical portion 61A, and a spiral groove 613A extends clockwise and upward in a plan view from the upper end of the straight groove 612A, communicating with each other. The height H of the spiral groove 613A is formed to be slightly higher than the depth of the allowable recess 127.

[0199] The lower disc portion 62A, which is formed to be larger in diameter than the guide cylindrical portion 61A and smaller in diameter than the large-diameter disc portion 63A, protrudes from the bottom surface of the large-diameter disc portion 63A toward the lower HD, and is formed so that the bearing 30A, which will be described later, can be fitted onto it.

[0200] The upper disc portion 64A, which is formed to be smaller in diameter than the large-diameter disc portion 63A and larger in diameter than the small-diameter insertion portion 65A, protrudes from the upper surface of the large-diameter disc portion 63A toward the upper HU, and is formed so that the bearing 30A, which will be described later, can be fitted onto it.

[0201] The small-diameter insertion portion 65A, which has a smaller diameter than the upper disc portion 64A and can be inserted into the through hole 421A of the rectangular cover 42A, protrudes upward from the upper disc portion 64A. The rectangular prism-shaped operating column portion 66A, which has a smaller diameter than the small-diameter insertion portion 65A, protrudes upward from the small-diameter insertion portion 65A toward the upper HU, and in the assembled state in which the small-diameter insertion portion 65A is inserted into the through hole 421A, it protrudes from the upper surface of the rectangular cover 42A. The operating column portion 66A may be rotated directly with a jig or tool, or it can be rotated by connecting it to another actuator or the like.

[0202] The two bearings 30A are fitted onto the lower disc portion 62A and the upper disc portion 64A, with the large-diameter disc portion 63A in between, and are housed in the upper housing space 414A of the upper cover member 40A, supporting the operating conversion member 60A so that it can rotate smoothly relative to the upper cover member 40A. The bearings 30A are general annular bearings, and a detailed explanation of their configuration is omitted, but they may be made of a highly sliding material such as PTFE.

[0203] The operating mechanism YA, with each element configured in this way, has bearings 30A fitted onto the disc portions 62A and 64A of the operating conversion member 60A. The guide cylinder portion 61A is inserted through the through hole 412A so that the disc portions 62A, 64A and the large-diameter disc portion 63A of the operating conversion member 60A, with the bearings 30A fitted onto them, are housed in the upper housing space 414A of the cover body 41A. At this time, the small-diameter insertion portion 65A and the operating column portion 66A of the operating conversion member 60A protrude above the upper surface HU of the cover body 41A.

[0204] Then, the small-diameter insertion portion 65A protruding from the upper surface of the cover body 41A is inserted into the through hole 421A, and the rectangular cover 42A is assembled to the cover body 41A to constitute the operating mechanism YA. At this time, the guide cylindrical portion 61A of the operating conversion member 60A protrudes downward HD from the partition wall 411A, and furthermore, the helical groove portion 613A of the guide groove 611A provided in the guide cylindrical portion 61A is positioned in the lower storage space 413A.

[0205] As explained above, the method for assembling the operating mechanism YA is as follows: In order to assemble and fix the operating mechanism YA to the main body mechanism XA, the cover body 41A, in which the guide cylindrical part 61A is inserted through the through hole 412A, is assembled to the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A on the main body mechanism XA, with respect to the valve stem portion 23A that protrudes into the upper housing space 1233A above the shaft insertion hole 123A of the upper valve body 120A.

[0206] At this time, the guide cylindrical portion 61A that protrudes downward HD from the partition wall 411A is housed in the upper housing space 1233A of the shaft insertion hole 123A, and the locking pin 24A that protrudes laterally from the valve stem portion 23A is loosely fitted into the guide groove 611A of the guide cylindrical portion 61A. In this state, the insertion hole 124A is housed in the upper surface of the connecting flange 122A and the lower housing space 413A of the cover body 41A. At this point, the cover body 41A is fixed to the connecting flange 122A with fixing bolts or the like.

[0207] Furthermore, by inserting the small-diameter insertion portion 65A, which protrudes from the upper surface of the cover body 41A together with the operating column portion 66A, into the through hole 421A, and by fixing the rectangular cover 42A to the cover body 41A with fixing bolts or the like, an operating mechanism YA fixed to the main body mechanism XA can be formed, and the flow path switching valve 1 can be formed. The flow path switching valve 1A configured in this way can be configured such that the operating column portion 66A protrudes from the upper surface of the rectangular cover 42A of the operating mechanism YA toward the upper HU.

[0208] Next, the on-off operation of the flow path switching valve 1A will be explained with reference to Figure 30. The on-off operation of the flow path switching valve 1A is performed by the user rotating the operating column 66A that protrudes from the upper surface of the rectangular cover 42A to the upper HU in the operating mechanism YA. First, the operating column 66A is rotated to open the valve, as shown in Figure 30(a), so that the conduction hole 212A of the cock portion 21A of the valve body member 20A communicates with the flow path R. Note that the operating mechanism YA may be assembled in advance to open during the assembly of the main body mechanism XA.

[0209] Specifically, the operating column 66A is rotated in the valve opening direction (counterclockwise in a plan view) to a position approximately perpendicular to the width direction W. In this state, the locking pin 24A of the valve body member 20A is positioned at the lower end of the helical groove 613A in the guide groove 611A and near the upper end of the straight groove 612A.

[0210] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 25 and 28, the locking pin 24A positioned on the peripheral surface 1221A of the connecting flange 122A is positioned in a circumferential direction substantially perpendicular to the allowable recess 127 on the peripheral surface 1221A in a plan view, and the conduction hole 212A of the cock portion 21A has its through direction in the width direction W, resulting in an open valve state in which it communicates with the flow paths R on both sides, as shown in Figure 30(a). More specifically, the valve opening rotation position in which the flow path R and the cylindrical body portion 121A communicate from the closed valve state is a position rotated 75° from the closed valve state.

[0211] Next, the operation from the open state to the closed state will be explained. In order to change from the open state to the closed state, when the operating column 66A is rotated in the closing direction (clockwise in a plan view), the entire valve body member 20A rotates together with the locking pin 24A located at the upper end of the straight groove portion 612A of the guide groove 611A in the closing direction (clockwise in a plan view) around the axial direction (rotation axis Ra) of the valve stem portion 23A. At this time, the locking pin 24A, which rotates together with the operating conversion member 60, is restricted from moving downward to HD by the peripheral surface 1221A of the connecting flange 122A. Therefore, the locking pin 24A is guided by the helical groove portion 613A of the guide groove 611A and slides circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221A in a clockwise direction in a plan view.

[0212] Thus, when the valve body member 20A rotates around its axial direction (rotation axis Ra), the conduction hole 212A of the cock portion 21A, which penetrated in the width direction W and communicated with the pair of flow paths R in the open valve state, now penetrates in a horizontal direction that intersects with the direction connecting the pair of flow paths R (width direction W) in a plan view.

[0213] Furthermore, by rotating the operating column 66A in the valve closing direction, the operating conversion member 60A is moved to the lower HD, and the locking pin 24A slides circumferentially along the peripheral edge surface 1221A of the connecting flange 122A to a circumferential position 90 degrees in a plan view relative to the circumferential position in the open state. As shown in Figure 30(b), the conduction hole 212A of the cock portion 21A penetrates in the depth direction D which is perpendicular in a plan view to the direction (width direction W) connecting the pair of flow paths R.

[0214] In this state, the seat ring 133A, which protrudes slightly from the end of the flow path R in the width direction W toward the valve chamber CA, is in close contact with the conical surface 211A of the cock portion 21A. As a result, the cock portion 21A is in a sealed state, blocking the electrical connection between the pair of flow paths R located on both sides in the width direction W. Thus, the rotational position in which the cock portion 21A blocks the electrical connection between the pair of flow paths R is defined as the valve closed rotational position.

[0215] In this state, the locking pin 24A, which has slid circumferentially along the peripheral surface 1221A of the connecting flange 122A to a circumferential position 75 degrees in a plan view relative to the circumferential position in the open state, is located on the upper HU of the allowable recess 127, and the restriction on movement to the lower HD by the peripheral surface 1221A is released.

[0216] Furthermore, when the operating column 66A is rotated further in the valve-closing direction from the valve-closed rotation position, the operating conversion member 60A is moved to the lower HD by the lower HD by the peripheral surface 1221A, and the restriction on movement to the lower HD is released, so the locking pin 24A moves to the lower HD so as to fit into the allowable recess 127 (referred to as the pushed-in state).

[0217] When the locking pin 24A moves to the lower HD so that it fits in, the cock portion 21A, which is in the closed valve rotation position, moves to the lower HD in the roughly frustoconical valve chamber CA where the lower HD has a smaller diameter, as shown in Figures 26, 29, and 30(c). When the cock portion 21A moves to the lower HD, the degree of contact between the seat ring 133A, which protrudes slightly from the end in the width direction W of the flow path R toward the valve chamber CA, and the conical surface 211A of the cock portion 21A increases, improving the sealing performance in the closed valve state. At this time, the locking pin 24A can be guided by the helical groove portion 613A in the guide groove 611A without any hindrance to its rotational movement toward the lower HD.

[0218] Conversely, to change from the closed valve state shown in Figure 30(c) to the open valve state shown in Figure 30(a), the operating column 66A is rotated in the valve-opening direction, which guides the locking pin 24A to move to the upper HU by the helical groove 613A of the guide groove 611A. Since the locking pin 24A is not restricted from moving in the height direction H, the locking pin 24A will escape from the allowable recess 127 (see Figure 30(b)).

[0219] Then, by rotating the operating column 66A in the direction of further valve opening, the locking pin 24A attempts to move to the upper HU by the helical groove 613A of the guide groove 611A, but the upper surface of the cock portion 21A comes into contact with the cylindrical body portion 121A inserted into the disc portion C1 of the valve chamber CA, thereby restricting further movement of the upper HU of the cock portion 21A. Since a sliding ring (not shown) is fitted onto the base portion 22A on the upper surface of the cock portion 21A, a highly slippery sliding ring (not shown) is interposed between the upper surface of the cock portion 21A and the cylindrical body portion 121A.

[0220] Furthermore, when the operating column 66A is rotated in the valve-opening direction, the movement of the upper HU of the cock portion 21A is restricted by the cylindrical body portion 121A. As a result, the locking pin 24A moves in the valve-opening direction along the circumferential direction relative to the peripheral surface 1221A by the helical groove portion 613A of the guide groove 611A, and the valve body member 20A rotates in the valve-opening direction around the axial direction along the height direction H (see Figure 30(b)). At this time, a highly slippery sliding ring (not shown) is interposed between the upper surface of the cock portion 21A and the cylindrical body portion 121A, allowing the valve body member 20A to rotate smoothly.

[0221] In this way, when the operating column 66A is rotated in the valve-opening direction and the operating conversion member 60A is in the upper end position, as described above, the conduction hole 212A of the cock portion 21A becomes open, with the through-direction being the width direction W, and communicating with the flow paths R on both sides (see Figure 30(a)).

[0222] As described above, the flow path switching valve 1A has a passage hole 212A that penetrates in a direction intersecting the rotation axis Ra, and is provided with a cock portion 21A formed in a conical shape with the rotation axis Ra as the height direction H, a valve chamber CA that houses the cock portion 21A, and a flow path R that communicates through the valve chamber CA, an operating column 66A for switching the cock portion 21A between an open state and a closed state, and a seat ring 133A that seals the space between the opening of the flow path R in the valve chamber CA and the cock portion 21A in the closed state, the seat ring 133A is formed to follow the cylindrical body portion 121A of the cock portion In the rotational direction of 21A, the position of the cock portion 21A where the conduction hole 212A communicates with the flow path R is set as the open rotation position, and the position of the cock portion 21A that seals the flow paths R after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is set as the closed rotation position. By moving the operating column portion 66A in the closed rotation direction, the cock portion 21A is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position. Furthermore, a locking pin 24A and a helical groove portion 613A are provided to move the cock portion 21A downward HD by further moving the operating column portion 66A in the closed rotation direction. As a result, a high contact surface pressure can be obtained while suppressing an increase in operating force.

[0223] More specifically, the flow path switching valve 1A has a cone hole 212A that penetrates in a direction intersecting the rotation axis Ra, a cock portion 21A formed in a conical shape with the rotation axis Ra as the height direction H, a valve chamber CA housing the cock portion 21A, and a flow path R communicating through the valve chamber CA, an operating column 66A for switching the cock portion 21A between an open state and a closed state, and a seat ring 133A that seals the space between the opening of the flow path R in the valve chamber CA and the cock portion 21A in the closed state. In the rotation direction of the cock portion 21A, the position of the cock portion 21A where the cone hole 212A communicates with the flow path R is defined as the open rotation position, and the position of the cock portion 21A where it seals the flow paths R after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is defined as the closed rotation position.

[0224] Therefore, by rotating the cock portion 21A located in the valve chamber CA of the valve body 10A to the open valve position, the flow path R communicating through the valve chamber CA and the conduit hole 212A of the cock portion 21A can be connected to create a conductive state, or by rotating the cock portion 21A to the closed valve position where the conduit hole 212A of the cock portion 21A faces in a direction intersecting the communication direction of the two communicating flow paths R, a sealed state can be created, or the flow path R and the conduit hole 212A can be connected to switch the flow path R through which the fluid is conducted, or the amount of conduction can be adjusted.

[0225] Furthermore, the seat ring 133A is formed to conform to the cylindrical body portion 121A of the cock portion 21A, and the locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A rotate the cock portion 21A from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction, and further movement of the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction moves the cock portion 21A to the lower HD without rotating it.

[0226] As a result, the cock portion 21A, which has moved from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by the movement of the operating column portion 66A, can be sealed together with the seat ring 133A. Furthermore, by further movement of the operating column portion 66A in the closed rotation direction, the cock portion 21A moves to the lower HD without rotating, so the contact surface pressure between the seat ring 133A, which is formed to follow the cylindrical body portion 121A of the cock portion 21A, and the cock portion 21A, which is moving to the lower HD, can be increased without increasing the operating force of the operating column portion 66A.

[0227] In this way, by moving the cock portion 21A in the closed rotation position to the lower HD, the contact pressure between the seat ring 133A and the cock portion 21A is increased. Therefore, the contact pressure between the cock portion 21A and the seat ring 133A when rotating from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is not high, and an increase in operating force can be suppressed. Then, by further movement of the operating column 66A in the closed rotation direction, the cock portion 21A moves to the lower HD, increasing the contact pressure between the seat ring 133A and the cock portion 21A, thereby obtaining a high contact pressure. Consequently, even when sealing the flow of fluids with small molecular sizes or fluids at extremely low temperatures such as cryogenic temperatures, the fluid flow path R can be reliably sealed without fluid leaking out from between the seat ring and the cock portion 21A.

[0228] Furthermore, the valve chamber CA has a conical space with an inner surface that follows the conical surface 211A of the cock portion 21A, and the locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A move the cock portion 21A to the lower HD of the valve chamber CA which has a frustoconical space.

[0229] Therefore, compared to the case where the seat ring 133A, which is fitted to the opening of the cylindrical valve chamber CA, is formed to follow the conical surface 211A of the cock portion 21A, the simpler structure of the seat ring 133A can increase the contact pressure with the cock portion 21A, and since the amount of protrusion from the cylindrical body portion 121A is approximately equal along the opening, a stable and high contact pressure can be obtained.

[0230] Furthermore, a valve stem portion 23A is provided for rotating the cock portion 21A housed in the valve chamber CA. The locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A are configured to rotate the valve stem portion 23A so that the cock portion 21A is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction, and to move the valve stem portion 23A so that the cock portion 21A is moved to the lower side HD of the valve chamber CA by further moving the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction.

[0231] Therefore, by simply moving the operating column 66A in the valve closing rotation direction, the locking pin 24A and the helical groove 613A rotate the cock portion 21A from the valve opening rotation position to the valve closing rotation position via the valve stem portion 23A, and further movement of the operating column 66A in the valve closing rotation direction allows the cock portion 21A to be moved to the lower HD.

[0232] Furthermore, the locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A are provided with a peripheral surface 1221A that restricts the axial movement of the lower HD when the valve stem portion 23A is rotated so that the cock portion 21A is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction, and an allowable recess 127 that allows movement to the lower HD by further moving the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction.

[0233] Therefore, although the valve stem portion 23A rotates due to the movement operation of the operating column portion 66A in the valve closing rotation direction, the movement of the lower HD in a predetermined direction is restricted by the peripheral surface 1221A. As a result, within the valve chamber CA, the cock portion 21A can rotate between the valve opening rotation position and the valve closing rotation position without moving in a predetermined direction.

[0234] Furthermore, the allowable recess 127 allows the operating column 66A to move further in the valve closing rotation direction, thereby allowing the valve stem portion 23A to move to the lower HD, and thus the cock portion 21A in the valve closing rotation position to move to the lower HD.

[0235] Furthermore, the operating column portion 66A has a guide cylindrical portion 61A capable of accommodating a part of the valve stem portion 23A, and a part of the valve stem portion 23A is housed in the guide cylindrical portion 61A. A locking pin 24A is provided on the portion of the valve stem portion 23A housed in the guide cylindrical portion 61A, protruding radially outward. The guide cylindrical portion 61A is also provided with a helical groove portion 613A that guides the locking pin 24A. The direction in which the cock portion 21A rotates from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is considered the closed rotation direction, and the opposite direction is considered the reverse rotation direction. The helical groove portion 613A has a helical shape that faces the reverse rotation direction, and the locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A function as a movement conversion mechanism.

[0236] Therefore, the valve stem portion 23A can be rotated by moving the operating column 66A in the rotational direction, thanks to the simple structure of the locking pin 24A and the helical groove portion 613A. More specifically, the portion of the valve stem portion 23A that is housed in the guide cylinder portion 61A has a locking pin 24A that protrudes radially outward, and the guide cylinder portion 613A that guides the locking pin 24A is provided in the guide cylinder portion 61A. The helical groove portion 613A is formed in a helical shape that faces in the opposite direction of rotation. Therefore, when the operating column 66A is moved further in the rotational direction, the valve stem portion 23A, whose movement of the locking pin 24A toward the lower HD is restricted by the peripheral surface 1221A, can be reliably rotated in the closing rotational direction.

[0237] Furthermore, the locking pin 24A is formed to a length that penetrates the helical groove 613A and protrudes to the outside of the guide cylindrical portion 61A. The valve body 10A is provided with a peripheral surface 1221A that restricts the movement of the locking pin 24A toward the lower HD and is circumferentially slidable. Additionally, an allowable recess 127 is provided on the peripheral surface 1221A that is concave in the closed valve rotation position, allowing the locking pin 24A to move toward the lower HD. Thus, the peripheral surface 1221A functions as a movement restricting portion, and the allowable recess 127 functions as a movement-allowing portion.

[0238] Therefore, the locking pin 24A, guided by the helical groove 613A, slides against the peripheral surface 1221A, which functions as a movement restricting part, allowing the valve stem portion 23A to rotate while its movement toward the lower HD is restricted. Then, at the closed valve rotation position on the peripheral surface 1221A, further movement of the operating column 66A in the closed valve rotation direction causes the locking pin 24A to become concave, allowing it to move toward the lower HD, and it fits into the allowable recess 127, which functions as a movement allowance part, thereby allowing it to move toward the lower HD.

[0239] Furthermore, a restricting projection 126A is provided on the peripheral surface 1221A to restrict the range of movement of the locking pin 24A in the rotational direction. As a result, since the range of movement of the locking pin 24A is restricted by the restricting projection 126A, the locking pin 24A does not rotate further with further valve closing rotation operation of the operating column 66A, and can fit into the allowable recess 127 that constitutes the allowable recess 127 and move to the lower HD.

[0240] In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the embodiments described above, the rotating shaft of the present invention corresponds to the rotating shaft Ra, and similarly, the through hole corresponds to the conduction hole 212, 212A, the height direction corresponds to the height direction H, the valve body corresponds to the cock portion 21, 21A, the valve chamber corresponds to the valve chamber C, CA, the flow path corresponds to the flow path R, the valve casing corresponds to the valve casing 10, 10A, the operating part corresponds to the rotating handle 51 or the operating column portion 66A, the valve seat corresponds to the seat ring 133, 133A, the conical surface corresponds to the cock portion 21, 21A, the small diameter side corresponds to the lower HD, the movement conversion mechanism corresponds to the locking pin 24, 24A and the helical groove portion 632, 613A, the flow path switching valve corresponds to the flow path switching valve 1, 1A, the valve stem corresponds to the valve stem portion 23, 23A. The movement restricting portion corresponds to the peripheral surfaces 1221, 1221A, the movement-allowing portion corresponds to the allowable recess 127, the cylindrical portion corresponds to the cylindrical shaft portion 61, the guide cylindrical portion 61A, the protruding portion corresponds to the locking pins 24, 24A, the helical groove corresponds to the helical groove portions 632, 613A, the sliding surface corresponds to the peripheral surfaces 1221, 1221A, the recess corresponds to the allowable recess 127, and the movement range restricting portion corresponds to the restricting protrusions 126, 126A, however, the embodiment is not limited to the above.

[0241] For example, although the flow path switching valves 1 and 1A described above were valve devices connected to piping, they may also be configured to be incorporated into a device. Furthermore, although the flow path switching valves 1 and 1A described above are configured to switch between a conductive state and a sealed state with respect to the flow path R by rotating the valve body members 20 and 20A by 90 degrees in plan view, they may also be configured to switch between a conductive state and a sealed state with respect to the flow path R by rotating the valve body members 20 and 20A by an angle smaller or larger than 90 degrees in plan view.

[0242] Furthermore, although a pair of flow paths R are provided inside the valve bodies 10 and 10A and the cock sections 21 and 21A are configured to switch between conduction and shutoff, it is also possible to provide three or more flow paths R in the valve bodies 10 and 10A and configure the cock sections 21 and 21A to switch between the flow paths R that are conducting electricity.

[0243] The cock portions 21 and 21A described above are formed in a substantially frustoconical shape, but they may also be conical, or they may be substantially frustoconical or conical with a smaller diameter towards the upper HU. If the cock portions 21 and 21A are substantially frustoconical or conical with a smaller diameter towards the upper HU, the valve chambers C and CA will also be substantially frustoconical or conical spaces with a smaller diameter towards the upper HU, and the operating mechanisms Y and YA will be configured to move the cock portions 21 and 21A, which are in the closed valve rotation position, towards the upper HU.

[0244] Furthermore, although the above description states that the rotation of the rotary handle 51 and the operating column 66A in the valve closing direction was clockwise when viewed from the front, they may be configured to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the front. Also, although the rotary handle 51 and the operating column 66A were configured to be operated by rotation, the operation conversion member 60A may be configured to be operated by movement in the height direction H.

[0245] The seat rings 133 and 133A described above are formed to follow the conical surface of the cock portions 21 and 21A and are positioned at the opening of the flow path R in the substantially frustoconical portion C2 so as to follow the conical surface. However, they may also be positioned at the opening of the flow path R on the side circumferential surface of the cylindrical valve chamber and formed to follow the conical surface depending on the shape of the seat rings 133 and 133A.

[0246] 1, 1A...Flow path switching valve 10, 10A...Valve body 21, 21A...Cock section 23, 23A...Valve stem section 24, 24A...Locking pin 61...Cylindrical shaft section 61 61A...Guide cylinder section 51...Rotating handle 66A...Operating column section 121, 121A...Cylindrical body section 126, 126A...Restricting protrusion 127...Allowable recess 133, 133A...Seat ring 212, 212A...Conditioning hole 632, 613A...Spiral groove section 1221, 1221A...Peripheral surface C, CA...Valve chamber H...Height direction HD...Lower side R...Flow path

Claims

1. A flow path switching valve comprising: a valve body having a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting the axis of rotation and formed in a conical shape with the axis of rotation as the height direction; a valve casing having a valve chamber housing the valve body and a flow path communicating through the valve chamber; an operating unit for switching the valve body between an open state and a closed state; and a valve seat that seals the space between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed state, wherein the valve seat is formed to conform to the conical surface of the valve body, and in the rotation direction of the valve body, the position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is set as the open rotation position, and the position of the valve body where it seals the flow paths after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is set as the closed rotation position, and a movement conversion mechanism is provided that rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating unit in a predetermined direction, and moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side by further moving the operating unit in the predetermined direction.

2. The flow path switching valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve chamber has a conical space having an inner surface along the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber having a frustoconical space.

3. The flow path switching valve according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating unit is parallel to the rotation axis.

4. The flow path switching valve according to claim 3, wherein the valve chamber is such that the tip end in the predetermined direction of the movement operation of the operating part that rotates the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is the smaller diameter side.

5. A flow path switching valve according to claim 3, wherein a valve stem is provided for rotating the valve body housed in the valve chamber, and the movement conversion mechanism is configured to rotate the valve stem so as to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating part in a predetermined direction, and to move the valve stem so as to move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber by further moving the operating part in the predetermined direction.

6. The flow path switching valve according to claim 5, wherein the movement conversion mechanism is provided with a movement restricting part that restricts axial movement when the valve stem is rotated so that the valve body is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by a movement operation of the operating part in a predetermined direction, and a movement allowing part that allows movement toward the smaller diameter side by a further movement operation of the operating part in the predetermined direction.

7. The operating section has a cylindrical portion capable of accommodating a part of the valve stem, at least a part of the valve stem is housed in the cylindrical portion, the portion of the valve stem housed in the cylindrical portion is provided with a projection that protrudes radially outward, the cylindrical portion is provided with a helical groove for guiding the projection, the direction in which the valve body rotates from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is the closed rotation direction, and the opposite direction is the reverse rotation direction, the helical groove has a helical shape toward the reverse rotation direction, and the movement conversion mechanism is configured by the helical groove and the projection, as described in claim 6.

8. The flow path switching valve according to claim 7, wherein the protrusion is formed to a length that penetrates the helical groove and protrudes to the outside of the cylindrical portion, the valve body is provided with a sliding surface that restricts the movement of the protrusion toward the smaller diameter side and allows it to slide in the circumferential direction, the sliding surface is provided with a recess that becomes concave so that the protrusion can move toward the smaller diameter side at the closed valve rotation position, the sliding surface constitutes the movement restricting portion, and the recess constitutes the movement allowing portion.

9. A flow path switching valve comprising: a valve body having a through hole penetrating in a direction intersecting the axis of rotation and formed in a conical shape with the axis of rotation as the height direction; a valve casing having a valve chamber housing the valve body and a flow path communicating through the valve chamber; an operating unit for switching the valve body between an open state and a closed state; and a valve seat for sealing the space between the opening of the flow path in the valve chamber and the valve body in the closed state, wherein the valve seat is formed along the conical surface of the valve body, and in the rotational direction of the valve body, the position of the valve body where the through hole communicates with the flow path is defined as the open rotation position, and the position of the valve body where it seals the flow paths after rotating by a predetermined angle from the open rotation position is defined as the closed rotation position, and a movement conversion mechanism is provided for rotating the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by moving the operating unit in the rotational direction, and for moving the valve body to the smaller diameter side by further moving the operating unit in the rotational direction.

10. The flow path switching valve according to claim 9, wherein the valve chamber has a conical space having an inner surface along the conical surface of the valve body, and the movement conversion mechanism moves the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber having a frustoconical space.

11. A flow path switching valve according to claim 10, wherein a valve stem is provided for rotating the valve body housed in the valve chamber, and the movement conversion mechanism is configured to rotate the valve stem so as to rotate the valve body from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by a rotational movement operation of the operating part, and to move the valve stem so as to move the valve body to the smaller diameter side of the valve chamber by a further rotational movement operation of the operating part.

12. The flow path switching valve according to claim 11, wherein the movement conversion mechanism is provided with a movement restricting part that restricts axial movement when the valve stem is rotated so that the valve body is rotated from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position by a rotational movement operation of the operating part, and a movement allowing part that allows movement toward the smaller diameter side by a further rotational movement operation of the operating part.

13. The flow path switching valve according to claim 12, wherein the operating section has a cylindrical portion capable of accommodating a part of the valve stem, at least a part of the valve stem is housed in the cylindrical portion, the portion of the valve stem housed in the cylindrical portion is provided with a projection that protrudes radially outward, the cylindrical portion is provided with a guide groove for guiding the projection, the direction in which the valve body rotates from the open rotation position to the closed rotation position is defined as the closed rotation direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the reverse rotation direction, the guide groove has a helical shape directed toward the reverse rotation direction, and the movement conversion mechanism is configured by the guide groove and the projection.

14. The flow path switching valve according to claim 13, wherein the protruding portion is formed to a length that penetrates the guide groove and protrudes to the outside of the cylindrical portion, the valve body is provided with a sliding surface that restricts the movement of the protruding portion toward the smaller diameter side and is circumferentially slidable, the sliding surface is provided with a recess that is concave so that the protruding portion can move toward the smaller diameter side at the closed valve rotation position, the movement restricting portion is formed on the sliding surface, and the movement allowing portion is formed on the recess.

15. The flow path switching valve according to claim 14, wherein the sliding surface is provided with a movement range restricting portion that restricts the movement range of the protruding portion in the rotational direction.

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