Valve plate with free micro-balls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549613-B2
Application number	US-202117494332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2021
Priority date	Oct 6, 2020
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

The valve plate (1) with free micro-balls allows a fluid (2) to flow from an upstream volume (3) to a downstream volume (4) and not in the reverse direction, and comprises a circulation plate (5) crossed through by a circulation orifice (6) terminated by a micro-ball seat (7), a permeable guide plate (9) parallel to said plate (5) being crossed through by a guide cylindrical orifice (10) which houses a micro-ball (8) which rests on said seat (7) so as to close said orifice (6) or rests on a permeable micro-ball stop abutment (11), a spacer (12) being interposed between said plate (9) and said plate (5), a discharge passageway (13) crossing through said plate (9) to allow the fluid (2) to flow when the micro-ball (8) does not rest on said seat (7).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Valve plate ( 1 ) with free micro-balls separating an upstream volume ( 3 ) from a downstream volume ( 4 ), and allowing a fluid ( 2 ) to flow from said upstream volume ( 3 ) to said downstream volume ( 4 ) but not in the reversed direction, characterized in that it comprises:
At least one fixed circulation plate ( 5 ) which sealingly separates the upstream volume ( 3 ) from the downstream volume ( 4 ), said plate ( 5 ) being crossed right through in the direction of its thickness by at least one circulation orifice ( 6 ) in which the fluid ( 2 ) can flow, the end of said orifice ( 6 ) which emerges in the downstream volume ( 4 ) having a micro-ball seat ( 7 );
At least one permeable guide plate ( 9 ) fixedly accommodated in the downstream volume ( 4 ) parallel to the circulation plate ( 5 ) and close to the latter, said plate ( 9 ) being crossed right through in the direction of its thickness by at least one guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ), the longitudinal axis of which being centred on that of the micro-ball seat ( 7 );
At least one micro-ball ( 8 ) accommodated with small play inside the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ), said small play limiting the passage of fluid ( 2 ) through the gap left between said micro-ball ( 8 ) and said cylindrical orifice ( 10 ), said micro-ball ( 8 ) being capable to move in translation longitudinally in said cylindrical orifice ( 10 ) so as to either sealingly rest on the micro-ball seat ( 7 ) in order to close the circulation orifice ( 6 ) and to prohibit the flow of the fluid ( 2 ) in said orifice ( 6 ), or be distant from said seat ( 7 ) to allow said fluid ( 2 ) flow through said orifice ( 6 );
At least one permeable micro-ball stop abutment ( 11 ) that is directly or indirectly attached to the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ) and that sets the maximum distance between the micro-ball ( 8 ) and the micro-ball seat ( 7 ) when said micro-ball ( 8 ) is in contact with said stop ( 11 ), the latter closing only little or not the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 );
At least one spacer ( 12 ) interposed between the permeable guide plate ( 9 ) and the circulation plate ( 5 ) so as to keep that plate ( 9 ) at a distance from said plate ( 5 ) such that when the micro-ball ( 8 ) is in contact with the micro-ball seat ( 7 ), at least part of the volume of said micro-ball ( 8 ) remains accommodated inside the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ), while when said micro-ball ( 8 ) is in contact with the micro-ball stop abutment ( 11 ), a passage is left to the fluid ( 2 ) to flow, on the one hand, between said micro-ball ( 8 ) and the micro-ball seat ( 7 ) with which it cooperates and, on the other hand, between the permeable guide plate ( 9 ) and the circulation plate ( 5 );
At least one discharge passageway ( 13 ) which passes right through the permeable guide plate ( 9 ) and/or which bypasses said plate ( 9 ), said passageway ( 13 ) allowing, when the micro-ball ( 8 ) is not resting on the micro-ball seat ( 7 ), the fluid ( 2 ) to flow from the upstream volume ( 3 ) to the downstream volume ( 4 ) via the circulation orifice ( 6 ).

2. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 1 , characterized in that the permeable micro-ball stop abutment ( 11 ) consists of a micro-ball bearing area ( 16 ) which is positioned in the extension of the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ) and which is arranged on a stopper plate ( 14 ) fixedly housed in the downstream volume ( 4 ) parallel to the permeable guide plate ( 9 ) and close to the latter, a discharge passageway ( 15 ) passing right through the stopper plate ( 14 ) in the direction of its thickness and/or bypasses the stopper plate ( 14 ) to allow fluid ( 2 ) to flow from the upstream volume ( 3 ) to the downstream volume ( 4 ) through the circulation orifice ( 6 ) when the micro-ball ( 8 ) is not resting on the micro-ball seat ( 7 ).

3. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 2 , characterized in that a stopper plate spacer ( 17 ) is interposed between the stopper plate ( 14 ) and the permeable guide plate ( 9 ) so as to keep the stopper plate ( 14 ) at a distance from said plate ( 9 ), such that when the micro-ball ( 8 ) is in contact with the micro-ball bearing area ( 16 ), at least part of the volume of the micro-ball ( 8 ) remains accommodated inside the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ).

4. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 1 , characterized in that the circulation plate ( 5 ), the permeable guide plate ( 9 ), the permeable micro-ball stop abutment ( 11 ) and the spacer ( 12 ) constitute a rigid assembly ( 19 ) in which the micro-ball is housed ( 8 ).

5. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 4 , characterized in that the rigid assembly ( 19 ) is sealingly housed in an assembly recess ( 20 ) which separates the upstream volume ( 3 ) from the downstream volume ( 4 ).

6. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 5 , characterized in that the assembly recess ( 20 ) has an upstream volume ( 23 )-side axial stop abutment on which the rigid assembly ( 19 ) rests directly, and a downstream volume ( 24 )-side axial stop abutment on which the rigid assembly ( 19 ) rests via an assembly-holding spring ( 25 ), the latter bearing on the downstream volume ( 24 )-side axial stop abutment in order to press the assembly recess ( 20 ) against the upstream volume ( 23 )-side axial stop abutment.

7. Valve plate with free micro-balls according to claim 1 , characterized in that the discharge passageway ( 13 ) is formed by at least one axial discharge groove ( 27 ) arranged in the internal wall of the guide cylindrical orifice ( 10 ).

Assignees

• Rabhi Vianney

Inventors

• Rabhi Vianney

Classifications

• F16K2099/0094

  Micropumps · CPC title

• F16K99/0057

  the fluid being the circulating fluid itself, e.g. check valves · CPC title

• F16K15/04

  shaped as balls · CPC title

• F16K99/0023 Primary

  with ball-shaped valve members · CPC title

• F16K27/0209

  Check valves or pivoted valves · CPC title