Valve for a pressurized fluid cylinder and corresponding cylinder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10228091-B2
Application number	US-201415113094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2014
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve for a pressurized fluid cylinder comprising a member for manually controlling a flow-regulating member, a sensor for detecting the position of the member for manually controlling the regulating member, a data acquisition, storage, and processing member, and a display for information relating to the fluid flow and/or pressure imposed by the regulating member and/or the valve use mode, wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent values of the flow and/or pressure of the fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, the data acquisition, storage and process member is designed to suppress the display information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve for a pressurized fluid cylinder, the valve comprising:
a body provided with an end configured to be mounted in an orifice of the pressurized fluid cylinder,
the body of the valve accommodating a first withdrawing circuit comprising a first, upstream end intended to communicate with a storage volume of the pressurized fluid cylinder and a second, downstream end configured to be connected to a consumer,
the first withdrawing circuit comprising a member for regulating a flow rate and/or a pressure of a withdrawn fluid between the upstream end and the downstream end,

a member for manually controlling the regulating member,
the control member being mounted to be able to move relative to the body of the valve and cooperating with the regulating member to control the flow rate and/or pressure of fluid allowed to circulate from the upstream end to the downstream end depending on a position of the control member with respect to the body,

an electronic device for indicating data relating to a fluid content in the pressurized fluid cylinder,
the electronic indicating device comprising a member for acquiring, storing and processing data and at least one data display connected to the member for acquiring, storing and processing data,

a sensor for sensing a position of the member for manually controlling the regulating member,
the position sensor being connected to the member for acquiring, storing and processing data in order to transmit a signal indicative of the fluid flow rate and/or pressure set by the regulating member,

the member for acquiring, storing and processing data being configured to cause an information item relating to the fluid flow rate and/or pressure set by the regulating member and/or relating to a mode of use of the valve to be displayed on the display in response to a reception of this set flow rate and/or pressure signal, wherein the manual control member and/or the regulating member is able to move into a plurality of separate positions that correspond to respective flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, and in that when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end,
the member for acquiring, storing and processing data being configured to suppress the display of an information item relating to the fluid flow rate and/or pressure set by the regulating member or to select and display on the display or to output one or both of these respective adjacent values and/or a value between these two respective adjacent values and/or a range of values defined by these two respective adjacent values.

2. The valve of claim 1 , wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values, the member for acquiring, storing and processing data is configured to also generate a visible and/or audible warning signal.

3. The valve of claim 1 , wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, the member for acquiring, storing and processing data is configured to calculate and display on the display or output an information item relating to an autonomy or content of fluid remaining in the pressurized fluid cylinder on the basis of the higher value of the two respective adjacent values.

4. The valve of claim 1 , wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, the member for acquiring, storing and processing data is configured to display on the display an information item relating to the fluid flow rate and/or pressure set by the regulating member that corresponds to the lower value of the two respective adjacent values.

5. The valve of claim 1 , wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, the regulating member is designed to allow the withdrawal of fluid at a non-zero flow rate between said two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values.

6. The valve of claim 1 , wherein when the manual control member is disposed in an intermediate position between two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values of fluid allowed to pass from the upstream end to the downstream end, the regulating member is designed to allow the withdrawal of fluid at a flow rate equal to one of said two respective adjacent flow rate and/or pressure values.

7. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the regulating member further comprises a flow rate regulator having calibrated orifices with different-sized calibrated orifices, the different-sized calibrated orifices of which can be disposed in turns on a path of the fluid in the first withdrawing circuit depending on the position of the manual control member.

8. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor for sensing the position of the control member further comprises at least one of: a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, a mechanical sensor.

9. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the sensor for sensing the position of the control member further comprises a mechanism that meshes with the control member and a potentiometer, the mechanism having a movable part that forms a wiper of the potentiometer, the position sensor providing a voltage and/or resistance value determined depending on the position of the control member.

10. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure within the storage volume of the pressurized fluid cylinder, the pressure sensor being connected to the member for acquiring, storing and processing data in order to transmit a signal indicative of the measured fluid pressure, the member for acquiring, storing and processing data being configured to calculate and display on the display an information item relating to an autonomy or content of remaining fluid in response to a reception of this pressure signal.

11. The valve of claim 10 , wherein the member for acquiring, storing and processing data is configured to receive both the signal of pressure measured by the pressure sensor and the flow rate and/or pressure signal provided by the position sensor and to calculate an information item relating to the autonomy of remaining fluid from these two information items, the autonomy of remaining fluid being determined by calculating, from an initial pressure measured, a theoretical decrease over time in pressure or a quantity of fluid generated by the withdrawing flow rate and/or pressure set by the regulating member ( 4 ).

12. The valve of claim 10 , wherein the member for acquiring, storing and processing data is configured to:
Calculate an actual variation in fluid quantity or pressure measured by the pressure sensor,
calculate a theoretical variation in fluid quantity or pressure set by the regulating member,
compare an actual variation in quantity or pressure measured by the pressure sensor with the theoretical variation in quantity or pressure set by the regulating member, and
generate a warning signal if the theoretical and actual variations diverge to an extent greater than a given safety threshold.

13. The valve of claim 10 , wherein

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Lair Liquide Sa Pour Letude Et Lexpoitation Des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Carron Amélie
• Lopez Beatriz
• Rezel Christophe Roland
• Rudnianyn Philippe
• Vivier Catherine

Classifications

• F17C2260/028

  Avoiding unauthorised transfer · CPC title

• F17C2250/077

  when empty · CPC title

• F17C2201/0104

  cylindrical · CPC title

• F17C2201/032

  with substantially vertical main axis · CPC title

• F17C2205/0323

  Valves · CPC title