Valve device with floating valve core

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12540678-B2
Application number	US-202418668936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2024
Priority date	May 24, 2023
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a valve device having a housing and a valve core. The housing internally is provided with at least two fluid passages and sealing members located at a port of each fluid passage. The valve core is disposed in the housing and comprises at least one closing wall. The valve core is configured to be capable of rotating around an axis in a first direction in the housing to enable the closing wall to align with the corresponding fluid passage to close the aligned fluid passage. The valve core is configured to be capable of making a linear motion in a second direction in the housing to allow the closing wall to tightly abut against the sealing member at the closed fluid passage. The second direction forms an angle with an imaginary bisecting plane of the closing wall of the valve core, the angle is an acute angle. When the closing wall is aligned with the fluid passage, the imaginary bisecting plane of the closing wall is parallel to the extending direction of the part of the fluid passage near a center of the housing. In the valve device of the present disclosure, the valve core can smoothly rotate between valve core positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A valve device, characterized by the valve device comprising:
a housing internally provided with at least two fluid passages and sealing members located at a port of each fluid passage; and a valve core disposed in the housing, the valve core comprising at least one closing wall, and the valve core being configured to be capable of rotating around an axis in a first direction in the housing to enable the closing wall to align with the corresponding fluid passage to close the aligned fluid passage, wherein the valve core is configured to be capable of making a linear motion in a second direction in the housing to allow the closing wall to tightly abut against the sealing member at the closed fluid passage, wherein the second direction forms an angle with an imaginary bisecting plane of the closing wall of the valve core, the angle is greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees.

2 . The valve device of claim 1 , wherein
the valve core further comprises an engagement portion configured to be capable of engaging with a driving member, to allow the valve core to be driven by the driving member to rotate around the axis in the first direction, and to allow the valve core to be driven by a fluid pressure to make the linear motion in the second direction relative to the driving member.

3 . The valve device of claim 2 , wherein
the engagement portion of the valve core comprises one of a guide groove and a protrusion, the guide groove and the protrusion extend in the second direction.

4 . The valve device of claim 3 , wherein
the valve device further comprises the driving member comprising a driving portion, the driving portion is shaped to match the engagement portion of the valve core so as to enable the valve core to engage with the driving member.

5 . The valve device of claim 4 , wherein
the driving portion of the driving member comprises the other one of the guide groove and the protrusion, the guide groove is configured to receive the protrusion, wherein the guide groove is adapted to the protrusion in a widthwise direction, so as to enable the protrusion to drive the guide groove to rotate around the axis in the first direction, or enable the guide groove to drive the protrusion to rotate around the axis in the first direction, and wherein a length of the guide groove in a lengthwise direction is greater than a length of the protrusion, such that the protrusion does not prevent the guide groove from being driven by the fluid pressure to make the linear motion in the second direction, or such that the guide groove does not prevent the protrusion from being driven by the fluid pressure to make a linear motion in the second direction.

6 . The valve device of claim 1 , wherein
the valve device comprises a four-way valve device comprising four fluid passages, wherein the valve core of the four-way valve device comprises two adjacently arranged closing walls.

7 . The valve device of claim 1 , wherein
the imaginary bisecting plane is parallel to the axis of the valve core and passes through a center of the closing wall and a center of the valve core, the valve core is hollow and comprises at least one opening, the valve core is configured to be rotate around the axis in the first direction in the housing to enable the opening to align with the corresponding fluid passage to open the aligned fluid passage, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

8 . The valve device of claim 1 , wherein
the housing comprises at least two fluid connection portions and is provided with at least two fluid connectors in fluid communication with the at least two fluid connection portions, the at least two fluid connection portions and the at least two fluid connectors define the at least two fluid passages, wherein the sealing member provided in each of the fluid connection portions is spaced apart from the corresponding fluid connector by a gap.

9 . A valve device, characterized by the valve device comprising:
a housing internally provided with at least two fluid passages and sealing members located at a port of each fluid passage; and a valve core disposed in the housing, the valve core comprising at least one closing wall, and the valve core being configured to be capable of rotating around an axis in a first direction in the housing to enable the closing wall to align with the corresponding fluid passage to close the aligned fluid passage, wherein the valve core is configured to be capable of making a linear motion in a second direction in the housing to allow the closing wall to tightly abut against the sealing member at the closed fluid passage, wherein the second direction forms an angle with an imaginary bisecting plane of the closing wall of the valve core, the angle is 30 to 45 degrees.

10 . The valve device of claim 9 , wherein
the valve core further comprises an engagement portion configured to be capable of engaging with a driving member, to allow the valve core to be driven by the driving member to rotate around the axis in the first direction, and to allow the valve core to be driven by a fluid pressure to make the linear motion in the second direction relative to the driving member.

11 . The valve device of claim 10 , wherein
the engagement portion of the valve core comprises one of a guide groove and a protrusion, the guide groove and the protrusion extend in the second direction.

12 . The valve device of claim 11 , wherein
the valve device further comprises the driving member comprising a driving portion, the driving portion is shaped to match the engagement portion of the valve core so as to enable the valve core to engage with the driving member.

13 . The valve device of claim 12 , wherein
the driving portion of the driving member comprises the other one of the guide groove and the protrusion, the guide groove is configured to receive the protrusion, wherein the guide groove is adapted to the protrusion in a widthwise direction, so as to enable the protrusion to drive the guide groove to rotate around the axis in the first direction, or enable the guide groove to drive the protrusion to rotate around the axis in the first direction, and wherein a length of the guide groove in a lengthwise direction is greater than a length of the protrusion, such that the protrusion does not prevent the guide groove from being driven by the fluid pressure to make the linear motion in the second direction, or such that the guide groove does not prevent the protrusion from being driven by the fluid pressure to make a linear motion in the second direction.

14 . A valve device, characterized by the valve device comprising:
a housing internally provided with at least two fluid passages and sealing members located at a port of each fluid passage; and a valve core disposed in the housing, the valve core comprising at least one closing wall, and the valve core being configured to be capable of rotating around an axis in a first direction in the housing to enable the closing wall to align with the corresponding fluid passage to close the aligned fluid passage, wherein the valve core is configured to be capable of making a linear motion in a second direction in the housing to allow the closing wall to tightly abut against the sealing member at the closed fluid passage, wherein the second direction forms an angle with an imaginary bisecting plane of the closing wall of the valve core, the angle is 45 to 60 degrees.

15 . The valve device of claim 14 , wherein
the valve core further comprises an engagement portion configured to be capable of

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Cheng Jing
• Liu Li
• Xia Wei

Classifications

• F16K5/205

  Sealing effected by the flowing medium · CPC title

• F16K5/204

  with the plugs or parts of the plugs mechanically pressing the seals against the housing · CPC title

• F16K11/0873 Primary

  the plug being only rotatable around one spindle · CPC title