Closure device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10890262-B2
Application number	US-201716092088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A closure device including a closure element for closing an opening surrounded by a valve seat of the closure device. The closure device has an open state, in which the closure element exposes the opening at least partly, for an object to be led through the opening, an intermediate state, in which the closure element is brought into alignment with the opening without contact with the valve seat, and a closed state, in which the closure element at least rests on the valve seat via a seal of the closure device. The seal has a hollow space, to which a pressure medium from a pressure source of the closure device can be applied, and the closure device has a suction apparatus for sucking the pressure medium out of the hollow space of the seal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A closure device comprising:
a valve seat that surrounds an opening;
a closure element for closing the opening that is surrounded by the valve seat;
a seal between the valve seat and the closure element, the seal including a hollow space;
wherein the closure device has an open state of the closure element, in which the closure element at least partly exposes the opening to allow an object to be passed through the opening, an intermediate state of the closure element, in which the closure element is brought into alignment with the opening without contact with the valve seat, and a closed state of the closure element, in which the closure element at least rests on the valve seat via the seal;
a pressure source for applying a pressure medium to the hollow space of the seal;
a suction source for sucking the pressure medium out of the hollow space of the seal;
a guide along which the closure element is movable between the open state and the intermediate state, the guide has at least one exposure area for the closed state, in which an element of the closure element that is guided by the guide is exposed to enable the closure element to be pressed against the valve seat; and
the closure element is arranged as a suspended pendulum.

2. The closure device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pressure source or the suction source comprises a pump.

3. The closure device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a second valve seat that surrounds a second opening, and the closure element in the intermediate state is arranged between the openings without contact with the valve seats, and in the closed state a second seal is arranged between the second valve seat and the closure element such that in each case one of the seals is located between each of the valve seats and the closure element, and the closure element at least rests on at least one of the valve seats via at least one of the seals, wherein the second seal has a second hollow space, and a pressure medium is appliable from the pressure source to each of the hollow spaces and the suction source can apply suction to each of the hollow spaces to remove the pressure medium.

4. The closure device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least two hinged joints and at least one pivot lever between the hinged joints, and the closure element is arranged on at least one pivot lever.

5. The closure device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a pump that acts as the pressure source and the suction source.

6. The closure device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the closure element is arranged in the closed state or so as to be adjustable in a parallel direction between the intermediate state and the closed state on the guide along which the closure element is movable between the open state and the intermediate state.

7. The closure device as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising at least one bending spring which is deflectable transversely to a longitudinal extension on the guide along which the closure element is movable between the open state and the intermediate state.

8. A closure device comprising:
first and second valve seats surrounding respective first and second openings;
a closure element for closing the two openings wherein the closure device has an open state of the closure element, in which the closure element at least partly exposes the openings to allow an object to be passed through the openings, an intermediate state of the closure element, in which the closure element is arranged between the openings without contact with the valve seats, and a closed state of the closure element, in which the closure element at least rests on at least one of the valve seats via at least one seal;
at least one positioning element that is configured to align the closure element in a predefined or pre-definable intermediate position between the valve seats;
a guide along which the closure element is movable between the open state and the intermediate state, the guide has at least one exposure area for the closed state, in which an element of the closure element that is guided by the guide is exposed to enable the closure element to be pressed against the valve seat; and
the closure element is arranged as a suspended pendulum.

9. The closure device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the at least one positioning element is elastic and at least one of the elastic positioning elements is located on each of two opposite sides of the closure element for aligning the closure element in the predefined or pre-definable intermediate position between the valve seats.

10. The closure device as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:
the at least one seal includes first and second seals located respectively between the first and second valve seats and the closure element, the first and second seals including a hollow space;
a pressure source that is connectable to each of the hollow spaces for applying a pressure medium; and
a suction source that is connectable to each of the hollow spaces for applying suction to remove the pressure medium.

11. The closure device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the closure element has a diameter of at least 600 mm.

12. The closure device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the guide comprises a linear guide along which the closure element is movable between the open state and the intermediate state.

13. The closure device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the guide has at least one guiderail for guiding the element that is guided, the guiderail includes the exposure area in which the element of the closure element guided by the guiderail is exposed to enable the closure element to be pressed against at least one of the valve seats.

14. The closure device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the guide comprises a plurality of guiderails, which are connected fixedly to walls of a housing of the closure device.

15. The closure device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the closure element has a mass of at least 100 kg.

Assignees

• Vat Holding Ag

Inventors

• Neumeir Anton
• Angst Christoph
• Summer Karlheinz
• Duelli Bernhard

Classifications

• F16K3/188

  by means of hydraulic forces · CPC title

• F16K51/02 Primary

  specially adapted for high-vacuum installations · CPC title

• F16K3/207

  by means of hydraulic forces · CPC title

• F16K3/0281 Primary

  Guillotine or blade-type valves, e.g. no passage through the valve member · CPC title