Directional valve, especially for breathing gases, and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199273-B2
Application number	US-202016781372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2020
Priority date	Sep 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A respirator directional valve ( 10 ) includes a valve housing ( 12 ), a plurality of valve flaps ( 16 - 18 ), which can be moved by a gas stream or by a flowing medium and are arranged at the edge, and a number of support surfaces ( 20 - 22 ) as a valve seat. A number of support surfaces ( 20 - 22 ) corresponds to a number of valve flaps ( 16 - 18 ). Each valve flap ( 16 - 18 ) is adapted to a surface of a respective support surface ( 20 - 22 ). The support surfaces ( 20 - 22 ) are sloped in relation to a cross-sectional surface through the valve housing ( 12 ). The support surfaces ( 20 - 22 ) together form a tip pointing in the flow direction of the respirator directional valve ( 10 ). A method for manufacturing such a respirator directional valve ( 10 ) is provided including method features relating to the use of such a respirator directional valve ( 10 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A respirator directional valve comprising:
a valve housing;
a plurality of valve flaps, which can be moved by a flowing medium and are arranged at an edge of the valve; and
a plurality of support surfaces defining a valve seat, a number of the support surfaces corresponds to a number of the valve flaps, wherein each valve flap is adapted to a surface of a respective one of the support surfaces, the support surfaces are each sloped in relation to a cross-sectional surface through the valve housing, the support surfaces together form a support surface tip pointing in a flow direction of the directional valve and the valve flaps each extend from a radially outward peripheral edge to adjacent the support surface tip, wherein:
the support surfaces are disposed directly adjacent to each other over a full extent thereof and extend as adjacent support surfaces from the radially outward peripheral edge to the support surface tip;
each support surface is defined at an edge by an associated respective web, and each web is shared in common by two of the adjacent support surfaces, with each web coming in contact with one of the valve flaps adapted to a respective one of the adjacent support surfaces and also coming in contact with another of the valve flaps adapted to another respective one of the adjacent support surfaces and each web being narrower than adjacent flow passages defined at each side of each web;
all webs meet in a meeting area of a central longitudinal axis of the directional valve including the support surface tip and the meeting area forms a most extended point of the support surfaces in the flow direction of the directional valve; and
each of the webs comprises a single vertex extending from at least a position adjacent to the valve housing to the meeting area.

2. A respirator directional valve according to claim 1 , wherein the respirator directional valve is provided in combination with a closed-circuit respirator, a closed-circuit diving apparatus or a medical respiration device and the respirator directional valve is connected to one of the closed-circuit respirator, the closed-circuit diving apparatus or the medical device.

3. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
each of the support surfaces comprises an arcuate portion defining a portion of one of the adjacent flow passages;
the surfaces of all support surfaces are of equal size; and
the surfaces of all valve flaps are of equal size.

4. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of support surfaces consists of three support surfaces; and
the plurality of valve flaps consists of three valve flaps.

5. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a ring element, which can be combined with the valve housing, wherein the valve flaps are arranged on the ring element at an edge thereof.

6. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the ring element comprises an elastically deformable ring element, which is detachably connected to the valve housing.

7. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 6 , wherein:
the valve housing has an outer jacket surface with a circumferential groove intended for receiving the ring element and the outer jacket surface of the valve housing has one or more recesses, the one or more recesses start from the groove in the outer jacket surface of the valve housing;
the ring element has one or more ribs, wherein a number of ribs corresponds to a number of recesses; and
each of the one or more recesses receives a respective one of the one or more ribs with a positive-lock.

8. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each valve flap is pointed in a direction of a central longitudinal axis of the directional valve and has borderline sections, which start from the tip and are straight in some sections, has borderline sections, which follow the contour of the valve housing in some sections, on both sides of an edge connection, and has an arc-shaped borderline section, which is inscribed into an acute angle, between the borderline sections starting from the tip and the borderline sections following the contour of the valve housing.

9. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a guide surface structure under the support surfaces with guide surfaces oriented parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the valve housing.

10. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the guide surface structure supports the support surface.

11. A respirator directional valve in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the guide surface structure comprises a honeycomb structure.

12. A respirator directional valve according to claim 1 , wherein the vertex is defined exclusively via the two of the adjacent support surfaces, each of the two of the adjacent support surfaces extending continuously from at least another position adjacent to the valve housing to the meeting area, the surface tip defining at least a portion of the vertex.

13. A gas stream delivery device comprising a closed-circuit respirator, a closed-circuit diving apparatus or a medical device, the gas stream delivery device further comprising a respirator directional valve comprising:
a valve housing;
a plurality of valve flaps, which can be moved by a flowing medium and are arranged at an edge of the valve; and
a plurality of support surfaces defining a valve seat, a number of the support surfaces corresponds to a number of the valve flaps, wherein each valve flap is adapted to a surface of a respective one of the support surfaces, the support surfaces are each sloped in relation to a cross-sectional surface through the valve housing, the support surfaces together form a support surface tip pointing in a flow direction of the directional valve and the valve flaps each extend from a radially outward peripheral edge to adjacent the support surface tip, wherein:
the support surfaces are disposed directly adjacent to each other over a full extent thereof and extend as adjacent support surfaces from the radially outward peripheral edge to the support surface tip;
each support surface is defined at an edge by an associated respective web, and each web is shared in common by two of the adjacent support surfaces, with each web coming in contact with one of the valve flaps adapted to a respective one of the adjacent support surfaces and also coming in contact with another of the valve flaps adapted to another respective one of the adjacent support surfaces and each web being narrower than adjacent flow passages defined at each side of each web;
all webs meet in a meeting area of a central longitudinal axis of the directional valve including the support surface tip and the meeting area forms a most extended point of the support surfaces in the flow direction of the directional valve; and
each web comprises a single vertex extending from at least a position adjacent to the valve housing to the meeting area.

14. A gas stream delivery device in accordance with claim 13 , further comprising a ring element, which can be combined with the valve housing, wherein the valve flaps are arranged on the ring element at an edge thereof, each support surface comprising an arcuate portion defining a portion of one of the adjacent flow passages.

15. A gas stream delivery device in accordance with claim 14 , wherein:
the ring element comprises an elastically deformable ring element, which is detachably connected to the valve housing;
the valve housing has an outer

Assignees

• Draeger Safety Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Wilhelm Christian
• Effmann Stefan

Classifications

• F16K15/031 Primary

  the hinge being flexible · CPC title

• F16K15/145 Primary

  the closure elements being shaped as a solids of revolution, e.g. cylindrical or conical · CPC title

• A62B18/10

  Valves · CPC title

• F16K27/0209

  Check valves or pivoted valves · CPC title

• F16K15/035

  with a plurality of valve members · CPC title