Multi-port multi-plane valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255450-B2
Application number	US-201916719629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of a multi-port multi-plane valve are provided. The multi-port multi-plane valve includes a housing which defines an internal cavity. The housing further includes a plurality of ports in which each port lies within one of two planes that are normal to each other. Each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity. A shell body is rotatably disposed within the internal cavity and provides selectable fluid communications between the ports. A seal member is also provided which has a plurality of openings and surrounds the shell body. At least one flow enhancer channel may be included to reduce the pressure drop occurring on one side of the valve when controlling flow paths on the other side of the valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-port, multi-plane valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity and wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports lies in a first plane normal to a second plane of the other ports of the plurality of ports;
a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity to selectively provide planar fluid communication between a first subset of the plurality of ports and multi-plane fluid communication between a second subset of the plurality of ports; and
wherein the shell body includes an opening and at least one flow enhancer channel arranged in the second plane, the at least one flow enhancer channel configured to reduce a pressure drop occurring in the multi-plane fluid communication when varying the planar fluid communication between the second subset of the plurality of ports.

2. The multi-port, multi-plane valve of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flow enhancer channel comprises a first flow enhancer channel arranged on a first side of the opening and a second flow enhancer channel arranged on a second side of the opening.

3. The multi-port, multi-plane valve of claim 2 , wherein the opening is wider than the first flow enhancer channel and wider than the second flow enhancer channel.

4. The multi-port, multi-plane valve of claim 3 , wherein the first flow enhancer channel has the same width as the second flow enhancer channel.

5. A multi-port, multi-plane valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity and wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports lies in a first plane normal to a second plane of the other ports of the plurality of ports;
a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity to selectively provide planar fluid communication between a first subset of the plurality of ports and multi-plane fluid communication between a second subset of the plurality of ports;
wherein the at least one port of the plurality of ports comprises a first port and wherein the other ports of the plurality of ports comprises a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a fifth port; and
wherein the shell body is configured to provide multi-plane fluid communication between the first port and at most one of the second port, the third port, the fourth port, or the fifth port at any rotation angle of the shell body.

6. A multi-port, multi-plane valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity and wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports lies in a first plane normal to a second plane of the other ports of the plurality of ports;
a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity to selectively provide planar fluid communication between a first subset of the plurality of ports and multi-plane fluid communication between a second subset of the plurality of ports;
wherein the at least one port of the plurality of ports comprises a first port and wherein the other ports of the plurality of ports comprises a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a fifth port; and
wherein the shell body is configured to provide planar fluid communication between at least two of the second port, the third port, the fourth port, or the fifth port at any rotation angle of the shell body.

7. A multi-port, multi-plane valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity and wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports lies in a first plane normal to a second plane of the other ports of the plurality of ports;
a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity to selectively provide planar fluid communication between a first subset of the plurality of ports and multi-plane fluid communication between a second subset of the plurality of ports;
wherein the at least one port of the plurality of ports comprises a first port and wherein the other ports of the plurality of ports comprises a second port, a third port, a fourth port, and a fifth port;
wherein the second port, the third port, the fourth port, and the fifth port are arranged at right angles to each other;
wherein, at a reference rotation angle of 0°, the second subset of the plurality of ports comprises the first port in multi-plane fluid communication with the second port and wherein the first subset of the plurality of ports comprises planar fluid communication between the third port, the fourth port, and the fifth port; and
wherein at a rotation angle of about 24° relative to the reference rotation angle of 0°, the second subset of the plurality of ports comprises the first port in multi-plane fluid communication with the second port, wherein the third port is fluidly isolated from the fourth port and from the fifth port, and wherein the first subset of the plurality of ports comprises the fourth port in planar fluid communication with the fifth port.

8. A multi-port, multi-plane valve, comprising:
a housing defining an internal cavity and comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity and wherein at least one port of the plurality of ports lies in a first plane normal to a second plane of the other ports of the plurality of ports;
a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity to selectively provide planar fluid communication between a first subset of the plurality of ports and multi-plane fluid communication between a second subset of the plurality of ports;
a seal member disposed between the shell body and the housing, the seal member configured to prevent unintended cross flow between the plurality of ports; and
wherein the seal member comprises a plurality of seal segments and wherein each of the seal segments is disposed immediately adjacent to another seal segment in a circumferential direction.

9. A method of operating a multi-port, multi-plane valve, the multi-port, multi-plane valve comprising a housing defining an internal cavity, having a first port, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port arranged in a first plane, and having a fifth port arranged in a second plane normal to the first plane and a shell body rotatably disposed within the internal cavity, the method comprising the step of:
rotating the shell body within the internal cavity to provide multi-plane fluid communication between the fifth port and one of the first port, the second port, the third port, or the fourth port, and wherein planar fluid communication is also provide between at least two remaining ports of the first port, the second port, the third port, or the fourth port not in multi-plane fluid communication with the fifth port.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of rotating further comprises rotating the shell body to a reference rotation angle of 0° so that the fifth port is in multi-plane fluid communication with the first port and so that planar fluid communication is provided between the second port, the third port, and the fourth port.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of directing multi-plane fluid flow from the first port to the fifth port and planar fluid flow from the third port to the second port and to the fourth port.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of rotating the shell body to a rotation angle of a

Assignees

• Ledvora Joseph
• Davern Thomas J
• Pearson James E
• Robertshaw Controls Co

Inventors

• Ledvora Joseph
• Davern Thomas J
• Pearson James E

Classifications

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• F16K5/0471

  between housing and plug · CPC title

• F16K11/0856 Primary

  having all the connecting conduits situated in more than one plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug · CPC title

• F01P7/16

  by thermostatic control · CPC title

• F16K11/085 Primary

  with cylindrical plug · CPC title