Regulator

Abstract

A regulator may include a main body portion, a pressure regulating chamber, a valve seat, and a piston pressure regulating valve. The piston pressure regulating valve may include a pressure regulating valve element having an end surface that is adjustable into close contact with at least a portion of the valve seat. The piston pressure regulating valve may also include a piston portion surrounding an outer periphery of the pressure regulating valve element. The piston portion may be slidable in an axial direction of a passage of the main body portion and may be biased via a pressure regulating spring disposed in an atmosphere chamber. The pressure regulating valve element may include a step protruding from a fitting portion to the piston portion at an upstream position disposed displaced from a pressure regulating range at an outer peripheral portion of the pressure regulating valve element.

Claims

1. A regulator, comprising: a main body portion including a passage formed through the main body portion, one opening end of the passage serving as an introduction port for introducing a fluid and another opening end of the passage serving as an extraction port for extracting a fluid; a valve seat including a valve-seated seat on an inner side in the introduction port of the passage and a valve-seated seat holding member having a through-hole in an axial direction of the passage; a pressure regulating chamber formed on a downstream side of the valve-seated seat in the passage; a piston pressure regulating valve including a pressure regulating valve element having an end surface that is contactable with the valve-seated seat, the piston pressure regulating valve disposed between the pressure regulating chamber of the passage and the introduction port, the piston pressure regulating valve including a communication passage having a cylindrical shape with both ends opened; the piston pressure regulating valve further including a piston portion formed to surround an outer periphery of a fitting portion of the pressure regulating valve element on an extraction port side of the passage, the piston portion slidable in an axial direction of the passage and biased in a direction of the extraction port of the passage via a pressure regulating spring having a predetermined load disposed in an atmosphere chamber provided coaxially in parallel with the pressure regulating chamber around the piston portion; wherein, during operation, the fluid introduced through the introduction port is introduced into the pressure regulating chamber via the through-hole formed in the valve-seated seat holding member and passes through the pressure regulating valve element in which the communication passage is formed, a load due to a pressure of a fluid acting on the piston portion joined to the pressure regulating valve element and a load due to the pressure regulating spring acting on the piston portion on a side opposite to the pressure regulating chamber are balanced such that an opening area of the valve-seated seat and the pressure regulating valve element is changed to control a fluid pressure in the pressure regulating chamber, and a fluid regulated to a desired pressure is taken out from the extraction port; wherein the pressure regulating valve element and the piston portion are separately formed; wherein the pressure regulating valve element is insertable into the passage through the introduction port and the piston portion is insertable into the passage through the extraction port, and the pressure regulating valve element and the piston portion are fitted to each other at an axial position and then fixed via at least one of press-fitting and welding at a fixing portion; wherein the pressure regulating valve element includes a step protruding from the fitting portion at an upstream position disposed spaced apart from the fixing portion at an outer peripheral portion of the pressure regulating valve element; and wherein, in a case where fixation between the pressure regulating valve element and the piston portion is released, when the pressure regulating chamber reaches a predetermined pressure, the piston portion presses the step of the pressure regulating valve element against a biasing force of the pressure regulating spring and closes the pressure regulating valve element.

2. The regulator according to claim 1, wherein the step has a larger diameter than the fitting portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention when a valve is closed;

(2) FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view illustrating a pressure regulating valve element of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 when the valve is opened;

(4) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case where a fixing portion by press-fitting and welding of joint portions between a pressure regulating valve element and a piston portion of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is damaged;

(5) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional example when a valve is closed;

(6) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a different conventional example when a valve is closed;

(7) FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional example illustrated in FIG. 6 when the valve is opened; and

(8) FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case where a fixing portion by press-fitting and welding of joint portions between a pressure regulating valve element and a piston portion of the conventional example illustrated in FIG. 6 is damaged.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(10) FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the overall configuration is substantially the same as that of the conventional example illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, the same components as those in the conventional example will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

(11) Then, the present embodiment is different from the conventional example illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8 in that a step 54 protruding from a fitting portion 53 to the piston portion 6 is provided at an upstream position slightly displaced from a pressure regulating range (Par illustrated in FIG. 2) of an outer peripheral portion of the pressure regulating valve element 5.

(12) According to the present embodiment having such a configuration, since the piston portion 6 and the pressure regulating valve element 5 are configured as different components from each other, even when there are variations in dimensions of each of the valve-seated seat holding member 33, the valve-seated seat 31, the piston portion 6, the pressure regulating valve element 5, and the main body portion 1, load of the pressure regulating spring 8, and the like, it is possible to set a constant load, and it is possible to minimize the individual difference between products. In particular, in the present embodiment, the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the piston portion 6 can be fixed at a designated load position while measuring the load of the pressure regulating spring 8 at the time of assembly, and are usually fixed by welding or the like. However, in a case where the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the piston portion 6 can be pressed against each other and fitted to each other, there is an advantage that strength and airtightness can be secured in a temporary fixed state where they are fitted in a press-fitted state when the pressure of the fluid to be used is not too high, and the cost can be reduced by removing welding processing.

(13) Further, when the fixing portion 9 obtained by the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the piston portion 6 fixed and integrally formed by press-fitting and welding at predetermined adjustment positions is unexpectedly damaged and the piston portion 6 and the pressure regulating valve element 5 are separated, the pressure regulating valve element 5 becomes free, the high-pressure fluid introduced through the introduction port 21 is introduced into the pressure regulating chamber 4 provided to face the valve-seated seat 31 via the through-hole 32 formed in the valve-seated seat holding member 33 of the valve seat 3 as illustrated in FIG. 4, and when the high-pressure fluid introduced into the pressure regulating chamber 4 reaches a certain pressure, the piston portion 6 presses the step 54 of the pressure regulating valve element 5 against the biasing force of the pressure regulating spring 8, the pressure regulating valve element 5 is pressed downstream, and the end surface 51 is seated on the valve-seated seat 31 to close the valve.

(14) Thus, it is possible to prevent a further abnormal pressure increase in the pressure regulating chamber 4 and prevent the high-pressure fluid from flowing downstream of the regulator without being regulated to secure safety by eliminating damage, airtight leakage, and the like of the downstream component.

(15) Note that, in the present embodiment, the step 54 is formed of a large-diameter portion integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion of the pressure regulating valve element 5, the step 54 can be easily processed by, for example, cutting, drawing, rolling, or the like, and the pressure regulating valve element 5 can be unfailingly locked to the piston portion 6 in a case where the fixation between the pressure regulating valve element 5 and the piston portion 6 is released. However, it goes without saying that the step 54 is not limited to this, and it is sufficient if the step 54 protrudes on the outer peripheral portion of the pressure regulating valve element 5 like, for example, a protrusion or a ring (not illustrated), and the step 54 may not be integral with, but may be formed separately from the pressure regulating valve element 5.