Control valve having a disposable valve body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9016530-B2
Application number	US-201313886535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2013
Priority date	May 3, 2013
Publication date	Apr 28, 2015
Grant date	Apr 28, 2015

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a flow of a fluid through a valve. In one illustrative embodiment, an apparatus comprises an elongate member, an actuation device, and a valve body. The actuation device is configured to move the elongate member, which may be associated with the actuation device, between an open position and a closed position. The valve body is configured for attachment to the actuation device such that the elongate member is positioned within the valve body. Fluid that flows into the valve body from a fluid source is allowed to flow out of the valve body when the elongate member is in the open position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an elongate member;
an actuation device that moves the elongate member, which is associated with the actuation device, away from the actuation device to an open position and toward from the actuation device to a closed position; and
a valve body attached to the actuation device such that the elongate member is positioned within the valve body in which fluid that flows into the valve body from a fluid source flows out of the valve body when the elongate member is in the open position; the elongate member, positioned within the valve body, comprising a plug portion at one end of the elongate member, and associated with the actuation device such that the actuation device moves the elongate member linearly in a direction along an axis between the open position and the closed position; and the valve body comprising: a hollow portion; a connecting channel connected to the hollow portion and comprising a first diameter, the first diameter being constant; a second channel, connected at one end to the connecting channel and open at a second end, and comprising a diameter that expands from the first diameter to a second diameter, the second diameter being constant, and narrows from the second diameter to a third diameter, the third diameter being constant, such that the plug portion forms an interference fit with the connecting channel when the elongate member is in the closed position, the connecting channel being narrower than both the hollow portion and the second channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising the valve body being disposable and wherein removing the valve body from the actuation device allows access to the elongate member such that the elongate member can be cleaned.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a first element associated with the valve body that attaches to the fluid source, wherein the fluid flows into the valve body from the fluid source through the first element; and
a second element associated with the valve body in which the fluid flows out of the valve body through the second element when the elongate member is in the open position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first element is a first protrusion extending from the valve body comprising a first channel through which the fluid flows.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second element is a second protrusion extending from the valve body comprising the second channel through which the fluid flows.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the second element forms a nozzle through which the fluid is dispensed onto a surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein moving the elongate member in the direction towards the actuation device creates a negative pressure within the second element that prevents the fluid from flowing out of the second channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first element comprises a first channel and the second element comprises the second channel and wherein the fluid is allowed to flow into the second channel from the first channel when the elongate member is in the open position and prevented from flowing into the second channel from the first channel when the elongate member is in the closed position.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises a viscosity within a selected range.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the fluid comprising the viscosity within the selected range is a sealant.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
the fluid source.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a nozzle associated with the valve body in which the fluid is dispensed through the nozzle onto a surface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:
a number of fluid transfer elements configured to connect the nozzle to the valve body.

14. A fluid dispensing system comprising:
a fluid source holding fluid comprising a viscosity within a selected range;
an elongate member, positioned within a valve body, comprising a plug portion at one end of the elongate member;
an actuation device that moves the elongate member, which is associated with the actuation device, linearly in a direction along an axis away from the actuation device to an open position and toward the actuation device to a closed position;
a disposable valve body that attaches to the actuation device such that the elongate member is positioned within the disposable valve body;
a first element associated with the disposable valve body attached to the fluid source; and
a second element associated with the disposable valve body in which the fluid flows from the fluid source into the disposable valve body through the first element and out of the disposable valve body through the second element when the elongate member is in the open position and in which removing the disposable valve body allows access to the elongate member such that the elongate member can be cleaned; the disposable valve body comprising: a hollow portion; a connecting channel connected to the hollow portion and comprising a first diameter, the first diameter being constant; a second channel, connected at one end to the connecting channel and open at a second end, and comprising a diameter that expands from the first diameter to a second diameter, the second diameter being constant, and narrows from the second diameter to a third diameter, the third diameter being constant, such that the plug portion forms an interference fit with the connecting channel when the elongate member is in the closed position, the connecting channel being narrower than both the hollow portion and the second channel.

15. A method for controlling a flow of fluid through a valve, the method comprising:
receiving the fluid from a fluid source within a valve body of the valve; and
moving an elongate member, comprising a plug portion and positioned within the valve body, away from an actuator device to an open position and toward the actuator device to a closed position, the actuation device associated with the elongate member such that the actuation device, via the elongate member, controls the flow of the fluid out of the valve body; attaching the valve body to the actuation device such that the elongate member associated with the actuation device is positioned within the valve body, the valve body comprising: a hollow portion; a connecting channel connected to the hollow portion and comprising a first diameter, the first diameter being constant; a second channel, connected at one end to the connecting channel and open at a second end, and comprising a diameter that expands from the first diameter to a second diameter, the second diameter being constant, and narrows from the second diameter to a third diameter, the third diameter being constant, such that the plug portion forms an interference fit with the connecting channel when the elongate member is in the closed position, the connecting channel being narrower than both the hollow portion and the second channel.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein moving the elongate member between the open position and the closed position comprises:
moving the elongate member into the open position using the actuation device to allow the fluid flowing into the valve body through a first element associated with the valve body to flow out of the valve body through a second element associated with the valve body.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein moving the elongate member between the open position and the closed position comprises:
moving the elongate member into the closed position us

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Topf Richard Philip
• Guirguis Martin Hanna

Classifications

• Y10T137/87676

  With flow control · CPC title

• F16K31/122

  the fluid acting on a piston (F16K31/143, F16K31/163, F16K31/363, F16K31/383 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K3/24

  with cylindrical valve members · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• F16K23/00

  Valves for preventing drip from nozzles · CPC title