Valve for pressurized fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10928008-B2
Application number	US-201716318922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2017
Priority date	Jul 20, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A valve for a pressurized fluid, including a body housing a fluid circuit including an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a receiver apparatus, the circuit including a control member controlling the flow rate in the circuit, said flow rate control member being operated by a mobile actuating member configured to move relative to the body of the valve, the valve including at least a first functional electronic member and a second functional electronic member, the second functional electronic member being mounted removably on the body of the valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valve for a pressurized fluid, comprising a body comprising a fluid circuit comprising an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a receiver apparatus, the circuit comprising a control member controlling the flow rate in the circuit, said flow rate control member being operated by a mobile actuating member configured to move relative to the body of the valve, the valve comprising at least a first functional electronic member and a second functional electronic member, the second functional electronic member being mounted removably on the body of the valve, wherein the valve comprises at least one housing configured to accommodate said second functional electronic member and the at least one housing comprising an electrical contact(s) device configured to collaborate with a mating set of electrical contacts belonging to the second functional electronic member in order to provide electrical connection between the first functional electronic member and the second functional electronic member when the latter is in the position in which it is mounted within the housing,
wherein the second functional electronic member is configured to move translationally in a first direction with respect to the housing between a mounted position and a dismounted position in relation to the body.

2. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the contact(s) device of the valve is placed on a wall of the housing situated in a plane parallel to said first direction.

3. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrical contact(s) device and/or the set of electrical contacts comprises at least one of the following types of mobile electric contact: a retractable metallic track, a flexible metallic blade for potentially compensating for any play between the contacts device and the set of mating electrical contacts in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first functional electronic member and the electrical contact(s) device are secured to a support component mounted with the ability to move on the body of the valve between at least a first position and a second position in relation to the body, wherein when the second functional electronic member is in the mounted position mounted on the body of the valve, when the support component is in the first position, the electrical contact(s) device of the valve is not in electrical contact with the mating set of electrical contacts of the second functional member, and in that when the support component is in the second position, the electrical contact(s) device of the valve is in electrical contact with the mating set of electrical contacts of the second functional member.

5. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first functional electronic member and the electrical contact(s) device are secured to a support component mounted with the ability to move on the body of the valve between at least a first position and a second position in relation to the body, wherein when the second functional electronic member is in the mounted position mounted on the body of the valve, the electrical contact(s) device of the valve is in electrical contact with the mating set of electrical contacts of the second functional member whatever the position of the support component.

6. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first functional electronic member and the electrical contact(s) device are secured to a support component mounted with the ability to move on the body of the valve between at least a first position and a second position in relation to the body, wherein the support component mounted with the ability to move on the body of the valve forms an exterior casing attached to at least part of the exterior surface of the body of the valve.

7. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a mounting end comprising mobile attachment members configured to collaborate with complementary attachment members to form a quick-connection system connecting the valve to another valve or to a fluid circuit, and wherein the support component configured to move is a member for actuating or controlling the mobile attachment members.

8. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first functional electronic member and the second functional electronic member each comprise at least one of the following: a wireless data reception and/or transmission device comprising an antenna, a pressure and/or temperature sensor, electronic data storage and processing logic comprising a microprocessor, a digital screen, a light source.

9. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the second functional electronic member is in the mounted position mounted on the body of the valve, the actuating member is able to move between a first position in which this actuating member does not impede the movement of the second functional electronic member in relation to the body of the valve, and a second position in which the actuating member acts as a mechanical stop impeding the movement of the second functional electronic member relative to the body to prevent it from being dismounted in relation to the body.

10. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second functional electronic member comprises an internal fluidic circuit comprising an upstream end and a downstream end, said internal circuit comprising at least one member for controlling the flow of fluid between the upstream and downstream ends;
when the second functional electronic member is in the mounted position mounted on the body of the valve, the upstream end of the internal circuit is connected in fluidtight manner to the fluid circuit of the valve body so that the control member that controls the flow of fluid regulates the flow of fluid intended to be placed in communication with a fluid receiver apparatus via the downstream end of the circuit of the body or the downstream end of the internal circuit.

11. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the second functional electronic member is in the dismounted position in relation to the body of the valve, the valve comprises a secondary fluid-control module mounted removably on the body of the valve in the housing, said secondary module having no set of electrical contacts that are the mate of the contacts device, said secondary module comprising an internal fluidic circuit having an upstream end and a downstream end, said internal circuit comprising at least one member that controls the flow of fluid between the upstream and downstream ends; in the mounted position mounted on the body of the valve in the housing, the upstream end of the internal circuit of the module is connected in fluidtight manner to the downstream end intended of the body of the valve in such a way that the member that controls the flow of fluid regulates the flow of fluid intended to be placed in communication with a fluid receiver apparatus via the downstream end of the circuit of the body or the downstream end of the internal circuit.

Assignees

• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Frenal Antoine
• Ligonesche Renaud
• Ondo Olivier
• Fischer Benjamin

Classifications

• F17C2223/036

  Very high pressure (>80 bar) · CPC title

• F17C2223/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title

• F17C2205/0326

  electrically actuated · CPC title

• F17C2201/058

  portable (<30 l) · CPC title

• F17C2205/013

  Two or more vessels · CPC title