Reversing valve and household water purifier including same technical field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10851899-B2
Application number	US-201716344053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2017
Priority date	Oct 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a reversing valve. The reversing valve controls the position change of a valve element thereof under the joint action of the total changing pressure from a piston side thereof and a compression spring side thereof to make connection and disconnection between different chambers in the reversing valve, so that the reversing valve can control connection and disconnection of relevant waterways. The reversing valve adopts a purely mechanical design and has characteristics of high reliability and fast switching. Also disclosed is a household water purifier including the reversing valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reversing valve, comprising:
a valve body, having a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical valve element disposed therein, wherein the valve element has a first end surface and a second end surface opposite to the first end surface;
a piston seat, disposed on the first end surface side of the valve element and having at least a portion in contact with the valve body, wherein an axially movable piston is disposed in the piston seat;
a diaphragm end cover, disposed on one side of the piston seat opposite to the valve body;
a piston diaphragm, fixed to the diaphragm end cover and disposed between the diaphragm end cover and the piston seat, and at least a portion of the piston diaphragm is also disposed between the piston and the piston seat, the piston and the piston seat being spaced apart by the diaphragm during axial movement of the piston so that the piston has no direct radial contact with the piston seat; and
a spring housing, disposed on the second end surface side of the valve element and having at least a portion in contact with the valve body, wherein a compression spring is disposed in the spring housing and the compression spring is disposed to be in contact with the second end surface of the valve element,
wherein the piston diaphragm, the piston, the valve element, and the compression spring are disposed to be coaxial and movable axially; and wherein
the piston diaphragm and the diaphragm end cover jointly form a first cavity in the diaphragm end cover, and the first cavity communicates with the exterior of the reversing valve through a first channel;
a first seal ring, a second seal ring, a third seal ring, and a fourth seal ring are sequentially disposed at different predetermined positions within the valve body in a direction from the first end surface to the second end surface; the valve body makes contact with the valve element by the first to fourth seal rings, and the valve body, the valve element, the first seal ring, and the second seal ring jointly form a second cavity in the valve body; the second cavity communicates with the exterior of the reversing valve through a second channel; the valve body, the valve element, the second seal ring, and the third seal ring jointly form a third cavity in the valve body; the third cavity communicates with the exterior of the reversing valve through a third channel; the valve body, the valve element, the third seal ring, and the fourth seal ring jointly form a fourth cavity in the valve body, and the fourth cavity communicates with the exterior of the reversing valve through a fourth channel;
a first depressed portion and a second depressed portion are sequentially disposed on a cylindrical surface of the valve element in the direction from the first end surface to the second end surface, wherein the second depressed portion is spaced apart from the first depressed portion by a predetermined distance in an axial direction of the cylindrical surface of the valve element when the valve element moves to a position where the first depressed portion spatially overlapping with the second seal ring, the second cavity communicates with the third cavity; and when the valve element moves to a position where the second depressed portion spatially overlapping with the third seal ring, the third cavity communicates with the fourth cavity.

2. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the valve element is hollow and has a duct disposed therein and connects the first and second end surfaces thereof.

3. The reversing valve according to claim 2 , wherein
each of the first depressed portion and the second depressed portion consists of a group of recesses distributed around an axis of the valve element on the surface of the valve element and spaced apart from one another, and none of the recesses communicates with the duct of the valve element.

4. The reversing valve according to claim 2 , wherein
a portion of the piston extends into the duct of the valve element.

5. The reversing valve according to claim 2 , wherein
the reversing valve further comprises a piston-side cavity located between the piston and the piston seat, the piston-side cavity is formed jointly by the piston diaphragm, the valve element, and the piston seat, and the piston-side cavity communicates with the duct of the valve element, and when the valve element moves toward the diaphragm end cover, a volume of the piston-side cavity increases, and when the valve element moves toward the spring housing, the volume of the piston-side cavity decreases.

6. The reversing valve according to claim 5 , wherein
the reversing valve further comprises a spring-side cavity located between the spring housing and the valve body, the spring-side cavity is formed jointly by the valve body, the valve element, and the spring housing, and the spring-side cavity communicates with the duct of the valve element, and when the valve element moves toward the diaphragm end cover, a volume of the spring-side cavity increases, and when the valve element moves toward the spring housing, the volume of the spring-side cavity decreases.

7. The reversing valve according to claim 6 , wherein
when the valve element moves in a reciprocating manner in the valve body, the increased or decreased volume values of the piston-side cavity and the spring-side cavity are the same.

8. The reversing valve according to claim 6 , wherein
the reversing valve further comprises a ventilation channel located at the piston side and communicates with the exterior of the reversing valve, and the ventilation channel communicates with the piston-side cavity through a gap between the valve element and the piston seat.

9. The reversing valve according to claim 8 , wherein
the ventilation channel is bent.

10. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the diaphragm end cover, the piston seat, the valve body, and the spring housing are fixed together by bolt and nut fasteners, threaded connections, or welding.

11. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the piston seat, the valve body, and the spring housing are integrally formed, and the diaphragm end cover and the integrally formed portion are fixed together by bolt and nut fasteners, threaded connections, or welding.

12. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the valve body and the piston seat are integrally formed, and the diaphragm end cover, the integrally formed portion, and the spring housing are fixed together by bolt and nut fasteners, threaded connections, or welding.

13. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the valve body and the spring housing are integrally formed, and the diaphragm end cover, the piston seat, and the integrally formed portion are fixed together by bolt and nut fasteners, threaded connections, or welding.

14. The reversing valve according to claim 1 , wherein
when a pressure acting on the piston diaphragm through the first channel decreases, the valve element, being pushed by the compression spring, moves toward the piston side till it reaches a first predetermined position, and from this point till the valve element moves to a second predetermined position where the piston is stopped by the diaphragm end cover, the second depressed portion spatially overlaps the third seal ring so that the third cavity communicates with the fourth cavity, and the first depressed portion is located between the first seal ring and the second seal ring, and the first depressed portion does not spatially overlap with either of the first or second seal rings.

15. The reversing valve according to claim

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Qui Biyong

Classifications

• C02F9/20

  Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems · CPC title

• B01D2313/501

  Permeate storage tanks · CPC title

• B01D61/081

  used at home, e.g. kitchen · CPC title

• F16K31/126

  the fluid acting on a diaphragm, bellows, or the like (F16K31/145, F16K31/165, F16K31/365, F16K31/385 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K11/07 Primary

  with cylindrical slides · CPC title