Non-return valve for a flow channel through which a flow of air flows

Abstract

A non-return valve for a flow channel has a housing and an outflow opening that can be closed by a pivoting blocking flap. The blocking flap has a dome-shaped bulge. An opening edge of the outflow opening has a hinge region for the blocking flap that transitions into a blocking flap stop region circumferentially opposite the hinge region. The blocking flap stop region is offset so that the opening edge has a progression that is curved in the circumferential direction and in the outflow direction. The housing has an indentation in the circumferential direction, which is not closed by the blocking flap such that the indentation forms a condensate chamber when the housing is inserted into the surrounding flow channel. The indentation is equipped with a flow opening, through which a condensate accumulating in the condensate chamber delimited by the indentation can flow in the interior of the housing.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A non-return valve (1) for a flow channel (14) for air, comprising a housing (2), through which air can flow in an outflow direction, having an outflow opening (8) that can be closed by a blocking flap (3) pivotably mounted on the housing (2), wherein the housing (2) is sleeve-shaped and comprises an inflow opening (5) opposite the outflow opening (8), wherein the housing (2) can be arranged in a hollow cylindrical flow channel (14) with a sealing flange (10) extending in a circumferential direction around an outer wall (9) of the housing (2) such that air flowing through the flow channel (14) flows into the housing (2) in the outflow direction (6) through the inflow opening (5) and out of the housing (2) through the outflow opening (8), wherein the blocking flap (3) rests against an opening edge (16) in a blocking position, thereby closing the outflow opening (8) and preventing undesired return flow against the outflow direction (6) into the outflow opening (8), wherein the blocking flap (3) is pivoted away from the opening edge (16) in an opening position and releases the outflow opening (8) while air is flowing through the housing (2) in the outflow direction (6), wherein the opening edge (16) of the outflow opening (8) comprises a hinge region (17), wherein the blocking flap (3) is pivotably mounted on the housing (2) in the hinge region (17), wherein the opening edge (16) transitions into a blocking flap stop region (18) arranged opposite the hinge region in the circumferential direction, and wherein the blocking flap stop region (18) is offset in the outflow direction (6) from the hinge region (17).

16. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein the blocking flap (3) is made from an elastic plastic material and is configured and mounted on the housing (2) in such a way that the outflow opening (8) is closed by the elastically pretensioned blocking flap (3) without air flowing through it.

17. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 16, wherein the blocking flap (3) comprises a fixing section (31) for fixing the blocking flap on or to the hinge region (17) of the opening edge (16) and a pivoting flap section (32), the pivoting flap section (32) being connected to the fixing section (31) via an integral hinge (33).

18. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 16, wherein a support web (37) is arranged in front of the blocking flap (3) in the outflow direction (6), wherein the blocking flap (3) rests on the support web (37) in the blocking position, and wherein the support web (37) extends transversely over the outflow opening (8) and thereby prevents undesired pivoting or deformation of the elastic blocking flap (3) against the outflow direction (6) when the return flow is directed against the outflow opening (8).

19. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein the blocking flap (3) has a dome-shaped bulge (19) with an inner region (20) that is curved forwards in the outflow direction (6).

20. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein the opening edge (16) has a curved course in the circumferential direction and in the outflow direction (6).

21. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein the blocking flap (3) is pivotably mounted on the housing (2) via a hinge, and wherein the hinge is arranged offset inwards in a radial direction from an outer circumferential edge (11) of the sealing flange (10).

22. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 21, wherein the hinge comprises at least one hinge pin receiving element (23) with a radially outwardly directed hinge pin receiving opening (24), wherein a hinge pin (25) can be inserted through the hinge pin receiving opening (24) and pivotably mounted in the hinge pin receiving element (23), and wherein the hinge pin receiving opening (24) is arranged closer to the outer circumferential edge (11) of the sealing flange (10) in the radial direction than a diameter of the hinge pin (25).

23. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein the housing (2) comprises an indentation (26) in the circumferential direction, wherein the indentation (26) is arranged next to the outflow opening (8) and is not closed by the blocking flap (3) such that the indentation (26) forms a condensate chamber (27) when the housing (2) is inserted into the hollow cylindrical flow channel (14), and wherein the condensate chamber (27) is accessible from a direction opposite to the outflow direction (6).

24. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 23, wherein the indentation (26) is arranged in the hinge region (17) in the circumferential direction and extends in an axial direction from an outer side of the opening edge (16) of the outflow opening (8) in the direction of the inflow opening (5).

25. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 23, wherein a flow opening (28) is arranged in the indentation (26) in a vicinity of the opening edge (16) of the outflow opening (8), through which opening (28) a condensate accumulating in the condensate chamber (27) delimited by the indentation (26) can flow into an interior of the housing (2) bypassing the blocking flap (3).

26. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 25, wherein an airtight flow opening channel (29) in the condensate chamber (27) extends from the flow opening (28) in the direction of the sealing flange (10) and a flow opening channel orifice (30) is arranged at a distance from the flow opening (28) in the condensate chamber (27).

27. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein a bulge (19) of the blocking flap (3) is adapted to an outer circumferential edge (11) of the sealing flange (10) in such a way that the blocking flap (3) can be pivoted as far as possible away from the opening edge (16) in the opening position without projecting radially towards the outer circumferential edge (11).

28. The non-return valve (1) according to claim 15, wherein an outwardly projecting stop limiting element is formed on an outer side of the blocking flap (3) directed away from the housing (2), and wherein the stop limiting element limits a pivoting movement of the blocking flap (3) into the opening position by a stop against an inner wall (13) of the hollow cylindrical flow channel (14).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a non-return valve for a flow channel through which a flow of air flows,

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a perspective side view of the non-return valve,

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a further side view of the non-return valve shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 from another direction, wherein a hinge region and an indentation with a condensate chamber can be seen,

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the non-return valve,

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a view through the non-return valve in an outflow direction from an inflow opening facing the viewer through a housing of the non-return valve, wherein a blocking flap located in an opening position projects into an outflow opening facing away from the viewer,

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the non-return valve, wherein the blocking flap is shown in a blocking position blocking the non-return valve.

[0042] FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the non-return valve, which is arranged in a surrounding flow channel represented schematically,

[0043] FIG. 8 shows a side view of housing of the non-return valve without the blocking flap mounted pivotably thereon,

[0044] FIG. 9 shows a side view of the blocking flap,

[0045] FIG. 10 shows a further side view of the blocking flap from another direction,

[0046] FIG. 11 shows a side view of a different design of a non-return valve with a blocking flap made in one piece from an elastic plastic material,

[0047] FIG. 12 shows a side view through the non-return valve shown in FIG. 11 along a sectional plane XII-XII in FIG. 11,

[0048] FIG. 13 shows a plan view of the housing of the non-return valve against the outflow direction, wherein the blocking flap is not shown for clarity,

[0049] FIG. 14 shows a plan view of the blocking flap of the non-return valve shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and

[0050] FIG. 15 shows a sectional view through the blocking flap shown in FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] A non-return valve 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 in various different views as well as open or closed has a sleeve-shaped housing 2 and a blocking flap 3 pivotably mounted on the sleeve-shaped housing 2. The housing 2 has an inflow opening 5 at a first end 4 for an air flow passing through the sleeve-shaped housing 2 in an outflow direction. The outflow direction is indicated by two arrows 6 in FIG. 1. At a second end 7 opposite the first end 4, the sleeve-shaped housing 2 has an outflow opening 8. The outflow opening 8 can be opened with the pivotably mounted blocking flap 3, as shown for example in FIGS. 1 to 5 and 7, or closed, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0052] At the first end 4, adjacent to the inflow opening 5, a sealing flange 10 is formed running in the circumferential direction around an outer wall 9 of the housing 2. The sealing flange 10 has an outer circumferential edge 11 projecting radially beyond the outer wall 9 and a directly adjacent sealing groove 12, which also runs around the housing 2 in the circumferential direction, to accommodate an O-ring seal. With the sealing flange 10, the housing 2 of the non-return valve 1 can be arranged and fixed to an inner wall 13 of a surrounding flow channel 14 in such a way that an air flow passing through the flow channel 14 must flow through an interior 15 of the housing 2 and cannot flow laterally between the outer wall 9 of the housing 2 and the inner wall 13 of the surrounding flow channel 14, as shown in FIG. 7. When the non-return valve 1 is installed or when the non-return valve 1 is inserted into a pipe section of the flow channel 14, the radially outwardly projecting circumferential edge 11 forms a stop and sets a depth limit for the inserted non-return valve 1, which facilitates error-free and reliable rapid assembly and also prevents undesired tilting of the non-return valve 1 within the flow channel 14, which would hinder the operation of the pivotably mounted blocking flap 3. The distance measured in the radial direction between the sleeve-shaped housing 2 and the surrounding flow channel 14 is shown comparatively large in FIG. 7 for clarification purposes and can be considerably smaller in practice, or only 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm.

[0053] The outflow opening 8 has an opening edge 16 delimiting the outflow opening 8. The opening edge 16 has a hinge region 17 in which the blocking flap 3 is pivotably mounted on the housing 2. Starting from the hinge region 17, the opening edge 16 merges into a blocking flap stop region 18 arranged opposite in the circumferential direction. The blocking flap stop region 18 is offset in the outflow direction relative to the hinge region 17, wherein the opening edge 16 in the blocking flap stop region 18 is at a greater distance from the inflow opening 5 and the sealing flange 10 than the opposite hinge region 17. Therefore, the opening edge 16 has a curved course not only in the circumferential direction, but also in the outflow direction. This curved shape of the opening edge 16 can be clearly seen in FIG. 1, for example.

[0054] The blocking flap 3 has a dome-shaped bulge 19 with an inner region 20 that is curved forwards in the outflow direction. A circumferential edge 21 of the blocking flap 3 is adapted to the course of the opening edge 16 of the outflow opening 8 such that the blocking flap 3 tightly closes the outflow opening 8 of the sleeve-shaped housing 2 in a blocking position adjacent to the opening edge 16, as shown as an example in FIG. 6. In order to increase the sealing effect of the non-return valve 1 in a blocked blocking position of the blocking flap 3, a blocking flap seal 22 made of an elastic sealing material is arranged along the opening edge 16.

[0055] The shape of the blocking flap 3 and, in particular, the dome-shaped bulge 19 and the circumferential edge 21, which, like the opening edge 16, is curved both in the circumferential direction and in the outflow direction, is predetermined in such a way that the blocking flap 3 can be pivoted as far away as possible from the opening edge 16 into an opening position within the surrounding flow channel 14, in which it obstructs an air flow flowing through the housing 2 in the outflow direction as little as possible and restricts a cross-sectional flow area available for the air flow passing through, such as that available in the interior 15 of the housing 2 in FIG. 5, as little as possible. The shape of the blocking flap 3 is also adapted and predetermined such that when air flows around the blocking flap 3, it can flow past the blocking flap 3 in the opening position with as little turbulence as possible due to the air flow passing through the non-return valve 1 in the outflow direction.

[0056] In the hinge region 17, the housing 2 has two hinge pin receiving elements 23 arranged at a distance from each other. Each hinge pin receiving element 23 has a radially outwardly orientated hinge pin receiving opening 24. Two hinge pin sections 25 are formed on the blocking flap 3, with which the blocking flap 3 can be inserted through the hinge pin receiving opening 24 into the hinge pin receiving element 23. The hinge pin sections 25 are received and retained in the hinge pin receiving elements 23 in a latching manner. In addition, the blocking flap 3 is pivotably mounted in the hinge pin receiving elements 23 via the hinge pin sections 25. A distance between the hinge pin receiving openings 24 of the hinge pin receiving elements 23 and the inner wall 13 of the surrounding flow channel 14 is less than a diameter of the hinge pin sections 25 such that the blocking flap 3 can no longer completely disengage from the hinge pin receiving elements 23 in a state of the non-return valve 1 mounted in the flow channel 14. This increases the operational safety of the non-return valve 1.

[0057] The sleeve-shaped housing 2 has an indentation 26 in the circumferential direction in the region of the hinge region 17, which is arranged next to the outflow opening 8 and is not closed by the blocking flap 3 in its blocked position. With the housing 2 inserted into the surrounding flow channel 14, the indentation 26 forms a condensate chamber 27, which is accessible from a direction opposite to the outflow direction. The indentation 26 extends in an axial direction from an outer side of the opening edge 16, or from the outflow opening 8 in the direction of the inflow opening 5, to the immediate vicinity of the sealing flange 10. Liquid condensate can accumulate in the condensate chamber 27 and run down the inner wall 13 of the surrounding flow channel 14 in the direction of the non-return valve 1 against the direction of outflow, as is often the case with a non-return valve 1 arranged in a vertical exhaust gas channel as part of an exhaust gas system.

[0058] A flow opening 28 is formed in the indentation 26 near the opening edge 16 of the outflow opening 8, through which the condensate, which accumulates in the condensate chamber 27 bounded by the indentation 26, can flow into the interior 15 of the housing 2 and then out of the housing 2, bypassing the blocking flap 3. In order to prevent the flow opening 28 from also being accessible to a counter-air flow approaching the blocked non-return valve 1 in the opposite direction to the outflow direction and to allow an undesirable environment for the closed blocking flap 3, an airtight flow opening channel 29 is formed in the condensate chamber 27, which extends in the axial direction from the flow opening 28 surrounded by the flow opening channel 29 in the direction of the sealing flange 10 and opens into a flow opening channel orifice 30 in the immediate vicinity of the sealing flange 10. As soon as a small amount of condensate accumulates in the condensate chamber 27, a condensate level rises in an axial direction from the sealing flange 10 to above the flow opening channel orifice 30 and thus closes the flow opening channel. With an increasing accumulation of condensate in the condensate chamber 27, the condensate level in the condensate chamber 27 and in the flow opening channel 29 rises until the condensate level reaches the flow opening 28 and the condensate accumulating in the condensate chamber 27 can flow out through the flow opening 28 into the interior 15 of the housing 2. The flow opening channel 29 therefore forms a siphon and blocks the flow opening 28 for a counter-air flow approaching the non-return valve 1 against the return flow direction.

[0059] FIGS. 11 to 15 show a deviating embodiment of a non-return valve 1 as an example and schematically. Only features of this non-return valve 1 that differ from the variant shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are described below.

[0060] The housing 2 has an opening edge 16 of the outflow opening 8, which runs in a plane that is inclined at an angle of approximately 80 degrees to the outflow direction 6. When the non-return valve 1 is arranged in a vertical line section, the plane in which the opening edge 16 runs is inclined by about 10 degrees relative to a horizontal plane.

[0061] The blocking flap 3 is made in one piece from an elastic plastic material such as a suitable fluoroelastomer. FIGS. 14 and 15 show the blocking flap 3 in the sole position without the housing of the non-return flap 1. The blocking flap 3 has a fixing section 31 and a pivoting flap section 32. The pivoting flap section 32 is connected to the fixing section 31 via an integral hinge 33. A recess 34 is formed in the fixing section 31 in order to fix the fixing section 31 with a clamping lug 35 projecting through this recess 34 to the hinge region 17 on the opening edge 16. The hinge region 17 has a flat contact surface 36, which is aligned at an angle to the plane in which the opening edge 16 extends.

[0062] By fixing the fixing section 31 of the blocking flap 3 on the contact surface 36 of the hinge region 17, the pivoting flap section 32 of the pivoting flap 3 resting against the opening edge 16 is elastically deformed. The resulting restoring force presses the pivoting flap section 32 against the opening edge 16 and closes the outflow opening 8.

[0063] The housing 2 also has a support web 37 extending across the outflow opening 8 and between opposing edge regions of the opening edge 16. The blocking flap 3 rests on the support web 37 in a strip region running approximately in the centre with a pivoting flap section 32 resting against the opening edge 16. The support web 37 prevents undesired deformation of the elastically deformable pivoting flap section 32 in the event of a counterflow directed against the outflow direction 6 into the housing 2 and ensures or supports reliable closure of the outflow opening 8.