Inflation fluid supply and discharge assembly, in particular for inflatable diving equipment, such as buoys, surface-marker buoys, balancing jackets or the like, and inflatable diving equipment provided with such assembly

Abstract

An inflation fluid supply and discharge assembly includes a combined two-way inlet and outlet valve having a valve body with two separate flow paths separated for flows in opposite directions. Each flow path is associated with a valve seat with a shutter, which cooperates with the valve seat in the manner of a non-return valve. One of the flow paths, intended for the passage of an incoming flow to a collection body, can be connected to a fluid supply source, the other flow path enabling the passage of a discharge flow from the collection body. A shutter is stably stressed against the corresponding valve seat, in a position of interdiction of the discharge or outlet flow, and is moved to a position at a distance from the valve seat by control members or automatically by a predetermined overpressure condition of the fluid in the collection body.

Claims

1. An assembly for inflation and discharge of inflation fluids, in particular for inflatable diving equipment, such as buoys, diving buoys, balancing vests or the like, the assembly comprising: a two-way flow valve providing two flow paths comprising an inlet path and an exhaust path, wherein the valve includes a valve body having the inlet path and the exhaust path, which are separate from each other and are each disposed to receive flows having opposite directions, and wherein the inlet path and the exhaust path are each provided with a non-return valve that prevents a flow in an opposite direction with respect to a flow direction foreseen for a respective flow path and that enables the flow to pass, automatically or on command, in the flow direction foreseen for the respective flow path.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein each non-return valve has a valve seat defined in a predetermined position along the corresponding flow path, with the seat cooperating with a shutter, a combination of the shutter and the valve seat being configured to automatically close the flow of an inflation fluid having the opposite direction that that for which the corresponding flow path is intended.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein one of the two flow paths is intended for passage of an inlet flow to a collection body comprising an inflatable bag or a rigid tank and has an end duct for coupling to a supply source of the inflation fluid having a predetermined supply overpressure, wherein the respective non-return valve automatically assumes a closing and opening position as a function of a pressure of the flow of the inflation fluid, wherein another one of the two flow paths is intended for the passage of a discharge or exit flow of the fluid from the collection body, the shutter of the non-return valve being stably and automatically urged against a corresponding valve seat, in a position of interdiction of the discharge or outlet flow, by an elastic element providing a predetermined force, the shutter being displaced to the open position. which causes a spacing from the valve seat. using manual, motorized or automatic command members of a displacement of the shutter according to a condition of overpressure of the fluid in the collection body when the overpressure generates a thrust force on the shutter greater than the thrust force exerted by the elastic element.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein a movement of the shutter of the non-return valve provided in the exhaust path, between two extreme positions of interdiction of the outlet flow and of release of the outlet flow, is determined only by a combination of the thrust force of the elastic element on the shutter in the closing direction of the non-return valve and by the force exerted by manual and/or motorized action against the force of the elastic element to move the shutter of the non-return valve in the open condition, a movement path of the shutter between the two extreme positions being devoid of removable mechanical stops.

5. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inflation and discharge unit has a rotationally symmetrical shape and the two flow paths are made coaxial to each other, the two flow paths comprising one central and radially innermost flow path ending on a side facing the collection body with a non-return valve with a diaphragm shutter which overlaps a face of a valve seat facing an inside of the collection body, on a side of the face facing the collection body, and an annular discharge flow path which has an annular passage opening and coaxially surrounds the central and radially innermost flow path, the two flow paths being separated by a tubular wall which externally delimits the central and radially innermost flow path and internally the annular discharge flow path, and wherein the valve seat associated to the annular discharge flow path is also annular in shape and cooperates with an annular shutter, the annular valve seat having an annular sealing lip with which an annular perimeter band of the annular shutter cooperates, the annular sealing lip extending radially further than at least one passage opening for the discharge annular flow path.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the annular sealing lip is shaped as a disk which is stably fixed at a radially innermost diameter thereof, and wherein the annular shutter cooperates with the annular sealing lip and can be raised from a position of contact with the annular sealing lip, in which the annular shutter generates a seal with the annular sealing lip, to a raised position from the sealing lip, in which the annular shutter opens a passage in a discharge or outlet direction.

7. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the valve seat associated to the annular discharge flow path delimits the annular discharge flow path by having two concentric circular walls that are radially spaced apart, with two annular sealing lips that are intended to cooperate with the annular shutter which has a radial width sufficient to overlap both the two annular sealing lips of the valve seat associated to the annular discharge flow path and which is subjected to an action of an elastic element that stably urges the annular shutter in a closed position against the valve seat associated to the annular discharge flow path, from a side of the valve seat associated to the annular discharge flow path that is in opposite position inside the collection body.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the central flow path comprises an angled pipette-shaped conduit having a terminal branch coaxial to the annular flow path or to a corresponding annular valve seat and further having an opposite radial terminal branch which is oriented at 90° with respect to the terminal branch, a length of the coaxial branch being such that the radial terminal branch protrudes only for part of a diameter thereof in addition to an external dimensions of the assembly.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the annular flow path opens into an annular chamber which is internally delimited by a wall of the coaxial branch of the conduit for the central flow path, externally delimited by a cylindrical coaxial collar that internally carries the sealing lip radially outermost of the annular valve seat of the annular flow path and upperly delimited by a ring nut engaging a covering element and the angled conduit, the ring nut being removably fixed to the cylindrical collar, and wherein the covering element provides a stationary abutment for the elastic element, which stably urges the annular shutter against the annular valve seat and in which the cylindrical collar extends radially outwards into an annular fixing flange that seals with an annular band surrounding a passage opening in a wall of the collecting body.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein, in a position radially adjacent to the coaxial branch of the angled conduit, the annular shutter has an axial extension which protrudes from the covering element and to which a manual actuation tie rod can be fixed for a manual displacement of the annular shutter in the open condition against an action of the elastic element.

11. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein, in combination with a single sealing lip coaxial to an axial portion of the central conduit, a gasket of the shutter cooperating with the sealing lip of the seat of the valve of the discharge flow path has a radially innermost annular edge that is fixed stably and sealingly to a wall of a coaxial section of the central conduit, a radially internal perimeter band, formed along the radially innermost annular edge, being clamped between the coaxial portion of the central duct and a central hub connected to the cylindrical collar by radial ribs.

12. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein, in combination with a valve seat having an annular opening delimited by two coaxial sealing lips, the annular sealing lip of the annular seat that is radially innermost is provided on a coaxial central hub held in position by radial ribs connected to the cylindrical collar or to the radially outermost sealing lip of the annular valve seat.

13. The assembly according to claim 12, wherein the central hub has a conical extension coaxial to the coaxial branch of the angled duct and has a coaxial bushing for fixing a central appendix of a diaphragm shutter consisting of a circular disk.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein the valve seat associated with the non-return valve for the inflation flow path through the central angled duct and cooperating with the diaphragm shutter is provided integrally shaped on a side of the central hub facing toward an inside of the collection body.

15. The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the valve seat for the shutter is radially coincident with the radially internal sealing lip of the annular valve seat, being the sealing lip radially internal of the annular valve seat and the valve seat of the shutter being provided on opposite sides of a radial annular widening of the central hub.

16. Inflatable diving equipment, buoy, or diving buoy, comprising: an inflatable bag with an inflation and discharge opening to which an inflation and discharge assembly is sealingly fixed, wherein the assembly is made according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly in the course of the following detailed description of a particular embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example and being made with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

[0049] FIG. 1 is a broken plan view of the two ends of a so-called diving buoy according to the state of the art.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of an exhaust valve used in the inflatable diving equipment and in the diving buoy of FIG. 1.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view from above on an inflation and discharge unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the unit according to FIG. 3.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the unit according to FIG. 3.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in a direction perpendicular to the radial branch of the central angled duct for the fluid flow of inflation.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the unit according to the previous FIGS. 3 to 6 along a diametrical plane and coinciding with the axes of the two branches of the central angled duct for the fluid flow of inflation.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows a section similar to that of FIG. 7 of a variant embodiment of the valve according to FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0057] With reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, an inflation and discharge unit for a hollow body such as an inflatable bag of a diving buoy or an inflatable bag of a buoy comprises two flow paths that are separate from each other and respectively provided only for an inlet flow of fluid to the hollow body indicated by the arrow G and for a discharge flow of fluid, i.e., an exhaust flow indicated by the arrow U.

[0058] In each of the two flow paths G and U there is a non-return valve which is configured to automatically shut off the flow of said fluid in the direction opposite to that provided for the corresponding flow path.

[0059] As shown in the figures, the unit is configured to provide the two flow paths for the inflation flow G and for the discharge flow U in a coaxial position, the flow path for the inflation flow G being provided at least in its terminal part by a central duct 101, while the flow path for the outlet flow U has an annular passage opening which is coaxial to the central duct.

[0060] The central duct 101 is constituted by a branch of an angled tube 100 which has a second branch 102 oriented radially outwards with respect to the axis of the central branch 101 and which ends beyond an external peripheral wall of the unit which is constituted by a clamping ring 150.

[0061] The annular flow path for the outlet flow U has an annular valve seat 120 which is formed by two concentric coaxial sealing lips 121, 122, which are radially connected to each other by spokes 123 having a predetermined width in the direction of the circumference and which are angularly spaced apart so as to leave open annular passage sectors 124 which are interposed between two adjacent spokes 123.

[0062] An annular shutter is provided on the side of the two sealing lips 121, 122, or on the side of the annular valve seat 120 facing in the outlet direction, i.e., opposite the internal space of the hollow body to which the assembly is intended to be coupled.

[0063] The annular shutter 130 is composed of an annular gasket 131 cooperating with the sealing lips 121, 122 presenting a radial width such as to overlap at the same time and both said sealing lips. The annular gasket 131 is mounted in a rigid annular support 132 coupled to the side of the annular gasket opposite the annular valve seat 120 and against the rigid annular support rests one end of an elastic element, for example the helical spring 133, whose opposite end rests on a covering element 140 which can be fixed in a stable position.

[0064] In a position adjacent to the central branch 101 of the duct for the inflation flow G, the annular support 130 has an axial extension 134 for fixing a traction member of the annular shutter 130, for example a cable as shown in FIG. 1.

[0065] The helical spring 133 is loaded with a certain force against the shutter 130 and urges said shutter stably in the contact condition against the valve seat 120, i.e., in the condition of closure of the flow path for the outlet flow U.

[0066] The traction member allows to manually move said annular shutter 130 away from the annular valve seat 120, opening the flow path for the discharge flow at the outlet U.

[0067] Furthermore, by suitably calibrating the force exerted by the spring 133 on the shutter 130, it is also possible to provide an automatic operation similar to an overpressure discharge valve, when for example the internal pressure of the inflation fluid in a hollow body exceeds a predetermined limit and exerts a lifting force of the annular shutter 130 from the valve seat 120 which exceeds that of the spring 133.

[0068] The cover element 140 has one or more discharge openings for the outflow indicated with 141.

[0069] It is held in a stable position by a peripheral annular locking ring 150 which is coupled by means of an internal thread to an external thread of a cylindrical collar 160.

[0070] The cylindrical collar 160 carries radially inside it a radial annular rib which forms the outer annular sealing lip 121 of the annular sealing valve seat 120.

[0071] From the radially external side or from the base of said side of the cylindrical collar 160 an annular flange 161 protrude radially for fixing the inflation and unloading unit to an annular band delimiting an opening provided in the wall of a hollow body to which band it is sealingly fixed.

[0072] It is possible to provide any type of sealing fastening of the type for example with chemical/physical adhesion. Typically, the sealing takes place by welding the annular band that surrounds the opening with the external annular flange 161.

[0073] The clamping ring 150 has a radially internal annular extension which is intended to overlap on a peripheral band of the covering element 140.

[0074] In the illustrated embodiment and as shown in FIG. 5, the covering element 140 has three angularly equidistant openings 141, which openings are separated from each other by wall sectors which extend radially to form sectors of a peripheral annular band on which the internal radial fin of the clamping ring 140 overlaps.

[0075] The central branch 101 of the angled central duct 100 for the fluid flow of inflation G extends coaxially inside the annular valve seat and is engaged with one of its terminal sections in a cylindrical cup formed in a central conical hub 180 which branches off with its end facing the hollow body, i.e. opposite the cover element 140, in the opposite direction to the inflation flow G, from an annular element on which there is provided the radially innermost annular sealing lip 122 of the annular sealing gasket 120.

[0076] In the area substantially coinciding with said radially innermost annular sealing lip 122 but on the opposite side of said annular element which forms the end of the conical central hub 180, there is provided the valve seat 181 for a diaphragm shutter 190 which in the embodiment illustrated is in the form of a so-called circular umbrella shutter.

[0077] On the side of the central duct 100 facing the central branch 101, the umbrella shutter 190 has a coaxial fixing appendix 191 which is engaged by means of an elastic interlocking coupling in a hole of a central bushing 182 which is held in position coaxially to the central conical hub 180 and to the central branch 101 by means of radial ribs 183.

[0078] The central branch 101 of the central duct connects with an elbow deviation to the radial branch 102 and the axial length of the central branch 101 is dimensioned in such a way, so that the axis of the central duct is provided substantially close to or flush with the outer surface of the cover cap 140.

[0079] In this way, the radial branch 102 does not substantially protrude beyond the overall dimensions that a traditional exhaust valve such as the one shown in FIG. 1 would have.

[0080] In a possible embodiment, the cover cap 140 can form an integral part with the angled central duct 100.

[0081] In a variant embodiment, such as the one illustrated, the cover cap 140 has an upper cutout into which at least part of the diametrical dimension of the radial branch 102 of the angled duct 100 can penetrate. In this case, advantageously, the wall of the radial branch acts at least in part also as a stop for the coil spring.

[0082] As can also be seen from FIG. 5, the tightening ring 150 overlaps the cover cap 140 which has a circular opening in the central area that forms an axial sliding seat of the axial extension of the annular shutter.

[0083] The angled duct 100 is fixed inside the central hub 180.

[0084] Still according to a feature as shown in FIG. 7, the external annular fixing flange 161, the cylindrical collar 160, the annular valve seat 120, the central hub 180, the valve seat 181 and the fixing bush of the umbrella valve 182 they consist of a single constructive element which is made in a single piece.

[0085] This makes it possible to build the inflation and unloading unit with a limited number of construction parts, thus limiting both the production costs and the assembly steps.

[0086] A unit according to FIGS. 3 to 7 can therefore be fixed to an inflatable equipment such as, for example, a diving buoy according to FIG. 1, replacing the inflation pipette terminal and the separate exhaust valve, providing only one opening and therefore a single welding zone in correspondence with which sealing problems may arise.

[0087] In addition to making the equipment safer, the manufacturing process is made simpler and faster and therefore production costs are lowered without compromising functionality.

[0088] With reference to FIG. 8, this figure illustrates a variant embodiment of the valve which provides for a different configuration of the valve seat and the shutter.

[0089] In FIG. 7, the valve seat is constituted by two annular elements spaced apart and concentric one to the other which elements define an annular opening 120 and the shutter is constituted by an annular gasket which overlaps the two annular elements and which is associated with an annular element support 132 on which a corresponding end of the helical spring 133 acts. The shutter thus performs an axial sliding along the portion 101 of the angled duct 100 and the gasket lifts with a translational movement in the direction of its axis, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the configuration is such that the gasket indicated with 231 performs a lifting from the seat 222 only with its perimeter band or at least with a part of it.

[0090] In the central zone, the gasket 231 is held in a fixed manner between the end of the section 101 of the angled duct 100, which section is coaxial with the valve seat and the shutter, and an element 221 which is made in one piece with the end of the cylindrical collar 160 opposite the cover cap 140.

[0091] This element 221 forms a bottom wall provided with one or more outlet openings U and along its radially outermost edge it has the sealing lip 222 of the valve seat, while in the central area it forms a clamping ring 223 of the radially innermost edge of the gasket 231 against the end of the portion 101 of the inlet duct. This connection being made tight to fluid.

[0092] The same bottom element of the cylindrical collar which forms the valve seat and which holds the central area of the gasket 231 in sealing connection against the end of the portion 101 of the duct 100, forms also a fixing hub for the umbrella-shaped shutter 190 similarly to the provisions of the previous embodiment.

[0093] In substance, this alternative embodiment provides that the central hub carrying the umbrella valve 190 forms a sealing wall of a central annular band of the gasket 231 against the end of the portion 101 of the inlet duct 100. The spring and the annular element 230 act on the perimeter band of the gasket 231 so as to maintain said condition against lifting from the valve seat. By operating the tie rod, the ring 232 is raised and the gasket 231 can be pushed upwards by the internal pressure, distancing it from the valve seat and deforming it in a substantially conical way. The peripheral band moves towards the covering cap 140, while the central area of said gasket remains fixed in position.