JP2007170510A - Three-way selector valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-way selector valve capable of saving an occupancy space by restraining a protruding amount of a ceramic valve cartridge, and capable of improving a freedom degree of layout such as an installation place or an installation direction. <P>SOLUTION: The ceramic valve cartridge 3 is provided with a ceramic movable valve disk 48 turning interlockingly with opening and closing operation of a handle 4, and a ceramic fixed valve disk 50 slidably abutting on the movable valve disk 48 and unturnably. The ceramic valve cartridge 3 is housed in a housing chamber 25 of a valve housing 2, a bypass flow passage 26 bypassing the housing chamber 25 is formed between a wall surface of the housing chamber 25 and an outer peripheral surface of the valve housing 2. A main flow passage X is defined by the wall surface of the housing chamber 25 and a water inlet side end of the ceramic valve cartridge 3, and a branch flow passage Y is formed by communicating the bypass flow passage 26 with a valve outlet port 31b arranged in the valve housing 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-way switching valve including a main channel having a raw water inlet, a branch channel branched from the main channel, and a valve member for opening and closing the branch channel.

  Conventionally, a three-way switching valve that includes a main channel and a branch channel branched from the main channel and that can be attached to a water outlet of a faucet such as a washroom is known (see Patent Document 1).

  The three-way switching valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 always allows water supplied from the faucet spout to flow through the main flow path, and if the user opens the valve member when necessary, the water flows from the main flow path to the branch flow path. The water can be simultaneously discharged from a second water outlet different from the water outlet of the main water channel.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, a three-way switching valve is used for a toothbrush faucet, and this three-way switching valve has a base end of a hose with a brushing faucet body attached to the distal end as the second spout. The valve member is configured to be opened by being inserted.

  By the way, the use of such a three-way switching valve is wide-ranging, for example, using the flowing water of the main channel for watering the flowers in the garden, and using the flowing water of the branch channel for washing hands of others, containers It can also be used for the cleaning of food. However, the three-way switching valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot open the valve body unless the base end of the hose is inserted into the second water outlet as described above. There is a problem that the hose must be inserted and used until it is not.

  Furthermore, the valve member of the three-way switching valve disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a bush that blocks the branch flow path by the elastic force of the spring, and when the hose is inserted, the spring contracts and the bush slides in the axial direction. The branch channel is configured to be opened.

  In the valve member having such a configuration, a spring having a large elastic force is required to surely prevent the flowing water of the main channel from leaking into the branch channel when the branch channel is blocked. Therefore, a large force is required for the hose insertion work, and there is a problem that the work becomes troublesome.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to use the ceramic valve cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 2 described later as a valve member and apply it to the three-way switching valve. That is, as a valve member, a ceramic movable valve disk that rotates about the shaft core in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the stopper rod, and a slidable contact with the movable valve disk, provided in a non-rotatable state. It is conceivable to use a ceramic fixed valve disc and a valve spout for discharging water from the main channel to the branch channel by opening the plug rod.

  For example, like the branch valve disclosed in Patent Document 3 below, a three-way switching valve may be configured by attaching a branch flow path branched to the main flow path and providing the ceramic valve cartridge at the base end thereof. It is done.

  In the branch valve disclosed in Patent Document 3, a shift in the circumferential direction is caused between the movable valve disk and the fixed valve disk by the operation of the handle member attached to the ceramic valve cartridge, and the branch flow path is opened. Therefore, it is possible to adjust not only the opening / closing of the branch flow path but also the amount of water discharged from the branch flow path.

Therefore, there is an advantage that water can be discharged from the branch flow path only by operating the handle member without requiring a hose insertion operation or the like. Furthermore, since the movable valve disc and the fixed valve disc are made of ceramic, a large force is not required for sliding the movable valve disc, and the opening / closing operation and the adjustment operation of the water discharge amount in the branch flow path are performed smoothly. There is also an advantage of being able to.
No. 7-2751 Utility Model Registration No. 3089080 JP 2003-328405 A

  However, in the configuration of the branch valve disclosed in Patent Document 3, the ceramic valve cartridge having a long shape in the axial direction protrudes greatly from the main flow channel into a T-shape. There is a problem that a large installation space for the three-way switching valve) must be ensured, and the layout is restricted such as the installation location and the installation direction.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a three-way switching valve that can realize space saving by suppressing the amount of protrusion of a ceramic valve cartridge, and that improves the degree of freedom in layout, such as the mounting location and the mounting direction.

  The three-way switching valve of the present invention is a three-way switching valve comprising a main channel having a raw water inlet, a branch channel branched from the main channel, and a valve member for opening and closing the branch channel. The member includes a stopper rod to which a handle member is attached, a ceramic movable valve disc that rotates about an axis in conjunction with opening and closing operations of the stopper rod, and a slidable contact with the movable valve disc. A ceramic valve cartridge comprising: a ceramic fixed valve disk provided in a non-rotatable state; and a valve spout for discharging part of the flowing water from the main flow path to the branch flow path by opening the plug rod The ceramic valve cartridge is housed in a cylindrical valve housing in which a housing chamber is formed. The valve housing has a branch water outlet, the raw water inlet and the main water outlet that communicate with the housing chamber. Each drilled A bypass channel is formed between the storage chamber and the outer peripheral surface of the valve housing so as to bypass the storage chamber and communicate with the branch water spouting port. The main channel includes the wall surface of the storage chamber and the ceramic. The branch flow path is configured by communication between the bypass flow path and the valve discharge port disposed in the valve housing. It is characterized by.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the plug bar has a tip protruding from the valve housing, and the handle member is attached to the tip of the protruding plug bar.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the ceramic valve cartridge has a plurality of valve outlets, and the bypass channel is formed at a plurality of locations in the valve housing across the main channel. .

  According to the present invention, the ceramic valve cartridge is stored in the storage chamber of the valve housing, and the bypass flow path that bypasses the storage chamber is formed in the valve housing, so that the branch flow path does not greatly protrude from the main flow path. In addition, the main flow path and the branch flow path can be partitioned within the valve housing, and the amount of protrusion of the valve cartridge having a shape elongated in the axial direction from the valve housing can be suppressed. As described above, the entire three-way switching valve can be configured compactly, space saving can be realized, and the degree of freedom in layout such as the mounting location and mounting direction can be improved.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view showing a three-way switching valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is. As shown in FIG. 1, the three-way switching valve 1 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a valve housing 2, a ceramic valve cartridge 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as a valve cartridge 3), and a handle 4 indicated by a two-dot chain line. including.

  The valve housing 2 has a cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, a raw water inlet 21 and a main water discharge port 22 are formed on the side surface, and a branch water discharge port 23 is formed on the bottom surface. Furthermore, screw holes 21a, 22a, and 23a are formed in the raw water inlet 21, the main water discharge port 22, and the branch water discharge port 23, respectively, and the bushes 5, 6, and 7 are screw portions 5a formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. , 6a, 7a and screw holes 21a, 22a, 23a are fixed to the valve housing 2, respectively.

  The bushes 5 and 7 are formed with second threaded portions 5b and 7b on the outer peripheral surface of the portion protruding from the valve housing 2, and the threaded portions 5b and 7b can be used to appropriately insert a hollow pipe or hose as necessary. The tip can be connected. A nut 8 is attached to the tip of the bush 6 so as to be coaxial with the bush 6, and a screw hole 8 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nut 8. By means of this screw hole 8a, the tip of a hollow pipe or hose can be connected as needed.

  The valve housing 2 is further formed with an opening 24 at the center thereof, and a storage chamber 25 for storing the valve cartridge 3 is formed. The storage portion 25 has a bottom surface portion 25 a, and two holes are formed in the side wall, and communicates with the raw water inlet 21 and the main water discharge port 22.

  Thereby, since the raw water inlet 21 and the main water discharge port 22 are configured to communicate with the storage chamber 25, the flow path 5c of the bush 5, the raw water inlet 21, the storage chamber 25, and the main water discharge port 22 as shown in FIG. A continuous main channel X is formed by the channel 6 b of the bush 6. In the present embodiment, the bush 5 side is the upstream side of the water flow.

  In the valve housing 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage chamber 25 is bypassed between the outer peripheral surface of the valve housing 2 and the side wall of the storage chamber 25, so that the valve housing 2 extends in the axial direction. A bypass channel 26 extending along the path is formed. The bypass channel 26 communicates with the branch water outlet 23 on the bottom surface side of the valve housing 2, and is located at two locations across the main channel X including the raw water inlet 21, the storage chamber 25, and the main water outlet 22 (see FIG. 2). Is formed.

  The valve cartridge 3 is configured such that the screw portion 31a formed on the outer periphery of the stopper rod guide body 31 serving as an outer frame and the screw hole 27 formed on the opening portion 24 side of the storage chamber 25 are screwed together, whereby the storage chamber 25 are stored in predetermined positions. Two O-rings 32 and 33 are attached to the stopper rod guide body 31. When the valve cartridge 3 is stored in the storage chamber 25, the O-rings 32 and 33 are connected to the opening 24 and the storage chamber of the valve housing 2. It is arranged at a position corresponding to 25 side walls.

  In a state where the valve cartridge 3 is stored in the storage chamber 25, the inlet 34 formed at the water inlet side end of the valve cartridge 3 is at a position spaced apart from the bottom surface portion 25 a of the storage chamber 25 by a predetermined distance. Thereby, the water flowing through the main flow path X can be diverted to the valve cartridge 3 side while the continuous main flow path X is secured.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the valve cartridge 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The valve cartridge 3 mainly includes the E-ring 35, the rotating piece 36, and the plug bar guide body in addition to the plug bar guide body 31. 31 is provided so as to be rotatable around the shaft core 31 and to which the handle 4 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) is fixed, a valve 38 provided at the lower part of the plug rod 37, and the valve 38 are mounted. The cylindrical fixed valve disc retainer 39, the spring plate 40, and the C ring 41 are configured.

  The stopper rod 37 is attached to the upper portion of the stopper rod guide body 31 so as to be rotatable around an axis, and is connected to a cylindrical connection end portion 42 fitted in a central hole (not shown) of the handle 4. Have When the valve cartridge 3 is accommodated in the valve housing 2 (see FIGS. 1 to 3), the connection end 42 protrudes from the plug bar guide body 31 and the valve housing 2. An outer serration 42 a is formed in the direction along the axis R on the body surface of the connection end 42 of the plug bar 37.

  The fixed valve disc retainer 39 has a pair of engaging protrusions 44 and 44 disposed opposite to the upper part of the inner peripheral surface of the communication hole 43, and has an O-ring 45 fitted in an annular groove provided at the upper end of the outer peripheral surface.

  The valve 38 includes a movable valve disk 48 made of ceramic having an engaging groove 47 on one side, which engages with a projecting piece 46 formed on the bottom surface of the plug rod 37, and the plug rod guide body 31 through the communication hole 43. It consists of a ceramic fixed valve disc 50 in which a pair of valve holes 49, 49 communicating with the inflow port 34 are formed.

  The fixed valve disk 50 is placed on the upper surface of the fixed valve disk retainer 39 and is provided in a non-rotatable state. The movable valve disk 48 is disposed so as to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the double-pointed arrow G while being in close contact with the sliding surface T of the fixed valve disk 50. Further, the fixed valve disk 50 has an engagement recess 51 that engages with the engagement protrusions 44 on the side facing the fixed valve disk retainer 39. Further, the valve holes 49, 49 are opposed to each other with a fan shape in plan view when viewed from the sliding surface T side of the fixed valve disk 50. On the other hand, the side of the movable valve disk 48 facing the fixed valve disk 50 has a shape capable of closing the fan-shaped valve holes 49, 49 in a plan view of the fixed valve disk 50, and is provided with a pair of notches 52. .

  The fixed valve disc retainer 39 is constantly urged toward the valve 38 by the spring plate 40 in order to bring one side of the movable valve disc 48 into contact with one side of the fixed valve disc 50. The plug bar guide body 31 has an opening at the water inlet side end, which serves as an inflow port 34, and a fixed valve disk retainer 39 is fitted into the plug bar guide body 31 from the inflow port 34. At this time, the fixed valve disc retainer 39 is fixed by engagement with a pair of locking projections 39 a provided at the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the fixed valve disc 39 and a pair of engaging grooves 31 c and 31 c provided at the bottom of the peripheral surface of the plug bar guide body 31. The valve disc retainer 39 is locked to the stopper rod guide body 31.

  5 is a cross-sectional view of the valve cartridge 3 according to the present embodiment taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the valve cartridge 3 taken along the line BB in FIG. . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the valve cartridge 3 is further configured to sandwich a sealing O-ring 53 between the fixed valve disk 50 and the disk presser 39. The fixed valve disc retainer 39 has an annular groove 39b for fitting the O-ring 53 at the outer peripheral upper end, and the O-ring 53 fitted in the annular groove 39b is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the stopper bar guide body 31 and the fixed portion. The valve disc 50 is in contact with the outer peripheral edge on one side.

  By the way, the stopper rod guide body 31 has a pair of valve outlets 31b through which water flows out when the valve 38 is opened at a height position substantially at the center of the peripheral surface M (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the valve cartridge 3 is stored in the storage chamber 25, the valve hole 49 of the fixed valve disk 50, the valve spout 31 b of the plug bar guide body 31, and the bypass channel 26. The inflow port 26a is at substantially the same angular position in the circumferential direction, and the inflow water discharged from the valve outlet 31b directly flows into the inflow port 26a and flows in the bypass channel 26. .

  3 and 6 show the water discharge state of the so-called valve cartridge 3 in which the notch 52 of the movable valve disk 48 and the valve hole 49 of the fixed valve disk 50 communicate with each other. In this state, two bypass flows formed in the valve housing 2 around the communication hole 43 of the fixed valve disc retainer 39, the valve hole 49, the notch 52 and the stopper rod guide body 31 from the inlet 34 of the stopper rod guide body 31. The branch water discharge port 23 is communicated with the passages 26 and 26, and a branch flow path Y is formed. By setting the valve cartridge 3 to the water discharge state, the water flow flowing through the main flow path X is diverted to the branch flow path Y, and water can be discharged from the branch water discharge port 23 via the bypass flow path 26.

  Then, when the handle 4 is turned by 90 °, for example, about the axis of the plug bar 37 from the state where the branch flow path Y is formed, the movable valve disk 48 is moved through the plug bar 37 by the sliding surface T ( 4) is turned by 90 °, the communication between the notch 52 and the valve hole 49 is cut off, and the branch flow path Y can be shut off.

  Further, when the handle 4 is turned 90 ° in the direction opposite to that when the handle 4 is shut off from the state in which the branch channel Y is blocked, the handle 4 is rotated about the shaft core of the plug rod 37 in the opposite direction. By rotating the sliding surface T by 90 °, the notch 52 and the valve hole 49 communicate with each other again, and the branch flow path Y can be formed again.

  As described above, since the movable valve disk 48 is rotated by rotating the handle 4 in the circumferential direction so that the branch flow path Y can be freely connected and disconnected, Water can be easily discharged from the branch water outlet 23 without performing the insertion work. Therefore, it is possible to directly wash hands, wash containers and the like with running water discharged from the branch outlet 23.

  Particularly, since the valve 38 is constituted by the ceramic movable valve disk 48 and the fixed valve disk 50, the valve disks 49 and 51 are in close contact with each other due to the extremely smooth characteristics of the ceramic material. A large force is not required for the rotation of the close contact. Therefore, the user can easily open and close the valve member.

  Furthermore, the valve cartridge 3 is accommodated in the storage chamber 25, and the main flow path X is configured by being partitioned by the wall surface of the storage chamber 25 including the bottom surface portion 25a and the inlet 34 of the valve cartridge 3, and the branch flow path Y is constituted by a bypass flow path 26 formed in the valve housing 2 so as to bypass the storage chamber 25.

  Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the main flow path X and the branch flow path Y can be separated from each other without causing the branch flow path including the valve cartridge to protrude greatly in a T shape from the main flow path. While being able to partition in the valve housing 2, the protrusion amount from the valve housing 2 of the valve cartridge 3 which makes a shape long in the axial direction can be suppressed. As described above, the entire three-way switching valve 1 can be made compact and space-saving can be realized, and the degree of freedom in layout such as the mounting location and mounting direction of the three-way switching valve 1 can be improved.

  In the branch valve disclosed in Patent Document 3, the valve cartridge protrudes from the main flow path, and the handle member is located away from the base end of the branch flow path. When rotating, there is a problem that the load at the proximal end portion of the branch flow path is increased by the moment. On the other hand, the three-way switching valve 1 in the present embodiment has a configuration in which the amount of protrusion of the valve cartridge 3 from the valve housing 2 is suppressed, and therefore the distance between the valve housing 2 and the handle 4 is shortened. There is an advantage that the load applied to the valve housing 2 or the like when the handle 4 is rotated can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the branch valve disclosed in Patent Document 3, in order to rotate the plug rod and valve that extend coaxially with the branch flow path and are accommodated in the branch flow path from the outside, A cylindrical handle member is attached to the outer periphery of the valve cartridge, and a special transmission member (such as a rotation guide body) for transmitting the rotational force of the handle is provided in the valve housing. On the other hand, in the three-way switching valve 1 in this embodiment, the tip of the plug rod 37 extending in the opposite direction with respect to the branch flow path Y, that is, the connection end 42 slightly protrudes from the valve housing 2, and this connection end The handle 4 is attached to the portion 42. Thereby, it is not necessary to separately provide a transmission member for transmitting the rotational force of the handle 4 to the valve 38 in the valve housing 2, so that the configuration for attaching the handle 4 can be simplified.

  Furthermore, as described above, the valve cartridge 3 has a pair (a plurality (two in this case)) of the valve outlet 31b, and the bypass channel 26 has a plurality of parts (here in the valve housing 2 across the main channel X). In two places). Thereby, since the cross-sectional area of the branch flow path Y can be increased, the amount of water discharged per unit time of water discharged from the branch water discharge port 23 can be increased. Thus, what provided the detour flow path 26 in multiple places is suitable when a certain amount of water is required, for example, when using the branch outlet 23 for washing hands and containers. On the contrary, when the main water channel X requires a water flow, it is preferable to provide one branch channel 26.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the valve spout 31b, the valve hole 49, and the notch 52 are each formed in pairs (every two places), of course, you may form more.

  The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

The perspective view which shows the three-way switching valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. The disassembled perspective view which shows the valve cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line AA in FIG. The BB line arrow sectional view in Drawing 1 of the valve cartridge concerning an embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Three-way switching valve 2 ... Valve housing 3 ... Ceramic valve cartridge 4 ... Handle 21 ... Raw water inlet 22 ... Main water outlet 23 ... Branch water outlet 25 ... Storage chamber 26 ... Detour channel 37 ... Plug bar 42 ... Connection end 48 ... movable valve disk 50 ... fixed valve disk X ... main flow path Y ... branch flow path

Claims (3)

A main flow path having a raw water inlet;
A branch channel branched from the main channel;
A three-way switching valve comprising a valve member for opening and closing the branch flow path,
The valve member includes a stopper rod to which a handle member is attached;
A ceramic movable valve disk that rotates about the shaft core in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the stopper rod;
A fixed valve disc made of ceramic that is slidably abutted on the movable valve disc and provided in a non-rotatable state;
A ceramic valve cartridge provided with a valve spout for discharging a part of the flowing water of the main channel to the branch channel by opening the plug bar,
The ceramic valve cartridge is stored in a cylindrical valve housing in which a storage chamber is formed,
The valve housing is provided with a branch water outlet, and the raw water inlet and the main water outlet that communicate with the storage chamber, respectively.
Between the storage chamber and the outer peripheral surface of the valve housing, a bypass flow path that bypasses the storage chamber and communicates with the branch spout is formed.
The main flow path is configured by being partitioned by a wall surface of the storage chamber and a water inlet side end of the ceramic valve cartridge,
The branch flow path is a three-way switching valve configured such that the bypass flow path and the valve water discharge port disposed in the valve housing communicate with each other. The three-way switching valve according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the plug rod protrudes from the valve housing, and the handle member is attached to a tip of the protruding plug rod. The ceramic valve cartridge has a plurality of valve outlets,
The three-way switching valve according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bypass channel is formed at a plurality of locations in the valve housing with the main channel interposed therebetween.

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