Switching valve for high-performance liquid chromatography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400265-B2
Application number	US-201313961637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2013
Priority date	Aug 10, 2012
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A switching valve is described that has a stator which is arranged in a housing and which has multiple connection ports. The switching valve also has a rotatable rotor which is arranged in the housing and which, in predetermined switching positions defined by associated angular positions, interacts with the stator for the fluidic connection or separation of predetermined connection ports. The rotor is rotatably mounted, and acted on with a predefined pressing force in the direction of the stator, by means of a bearing and pressing device arranged in the housing. The bearing and pressing device has a spring device which exerts a load on the rotor or on an element that is capable of performing a wobbling movement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A switching valve comprising:
(a) a stator arranged in a housing, the stator including multiple connection ports;
(b) a rotor arranged in the housing and having a switching position to form a fluidic connection to predetermined connection ports;
(c) in which the rotor is rotatably mounted and pressed against the stator with a bearing and pressing device arranged in the housing, the bearing and pressing device comprises a spring unit;
(d) in which the spring unit supports the rotor, or a coupling element connecting the rotor and the bearing and pressing device and transferring the axial pressure force to the rotor, and exerts an axial pressure force thereon;
(e) in which the spring unit positions the rotor, or the rotor and the coupling element, radially with respect to the stator; and
(f) in which only the spring unit supports the rotor, or the rotor and the coupling element, with respect to the stator such that the spring unit enables the rotor, or rotor and coupling element, to wobble when pressed against the stator.

2. The switching valve of claim 1 further comprising the coupling element.

3. The switching valve of claim 1 , in which the rotor is coupled to a rotary drive.

4. The switching valve of claim 3 , in which the spring unit is supported on a rotatably mounted receiving element of the bearing and pressing device, the receiving element including a drive region coupled to an electromotive rotary drive.

5. The switching valve of claim 4 , in which the spring unit is fixedly connected to the receiving element.

6. The switching valve of claim 4 , in which the spring unit is formed as one piece with the receiving element.

7. The switching valve of claim 1 , in which the spring unit comprises one or more plate spring elements.

8. The switching valve of claim 7 , in which the one or more plate spring elements comprises an annular shaped form.

9. The switching valve of claim 8 , in which the plate spring element comprises multiple radially running slots extending from an inner edge of the plate spring element into a radially inner region of the plate spring element.

10. The switching valve of claim 8 , in which the plate spring element comprises multiple radially running slots extending from an outer edge of the plate spring element into a radially outer region of the plate spring element.

11. The switching valve of claim 7 , in which the one or more plate spring elements exerts a load on the rotor to radially position the rotor in relation to the stator, the plate spring element including a form fit to the rotor to accommodate radial forces.

12. The switching valve of claim 4 further comprising: the coupling element, in which the spring unit comprises one or more plate spring elements, and the one or more plate spring elements exerts a load on the coupling element to radially position the rotor in relation to the stator, the plate spring element including a form fit to the coupling element to accommodate radial forces.

13. The switching valve of claim 12 , in which the one or more plate spring elements exerts a load on the receiving element to radially position the plate spring element in relation to the receiving element, the receiving element including a form fit to the plate spring element to accommodate radial forces.

14. The switching valve of claim 8 , in which
(a) the one or more plate spring element comprises one or more circular-ring-shaped plate spring element,
(b) the circular-ring-shaped plate spring element having a cross-sectional profile in an axial longitudinal section, the cross-sectional profile forming a substantially rectangular form having an outer face side and an inner face side, the outer face side and the inner face side both forming circular arcs as part of a perimeter of a circle having a central point at a center of an area of the cross-sectional profile,
(c) the rotor including at least one projection, the projection of the rotor having a wall extending parallel to an axis of rotation and substantially parallel to an axis of the plate spring element, the wall of the rotor being biased against by the inner face side or the outer face side of the plate spring, and
(d) the receiving element including at least one projection, the projection of the receiving element having a wall extending parallel to an axis of rotation and substantially parallel to an axis of the plate spring element, the wall of the receiving element being biased against by one of the inner face side or the outer face side of the plate spring not being biased against by the wall of the rotor.

15. The switching valve of claim 12 , in which
(a) the one or more plate spring element comprises one or more circular-ring-shaped plate spring element,
(b) the circular-ring-shaped plate spring element having a cross-sectional profile in an axial longitudinal section, the cross-sectional profile forming a substantially rectangular form having an outer face side and an inner face side, the outer face side and the inner face side both forming circular arcs as part of a perimeter of a circle having a central point at a center of an area of the cross-sectional profile,
(c) the coupling element including at least one projection, the projection of the coupling element having a wall extending parallel to an axis of rotation and substantially parallel to an axis of the plate spring element, the wall of the coupling element being biased against by the inner face side of the plate spring, and
(d) the receiving element including at least one projection, the projection of the receiving element having a wall extending parallel to an axis of rotation and substantially parallel to an axis of the plate spring element, the wall of the receiving element being biased against the outer face side of the plate.

16. A switching valve comprising:
a stator arranged in a housing, the stator including multiple connection ports;
a rotor arranged in the housing and having a switching position to form a fluidic connection to predetermined connection ports;
in which the rotor is rotatably mounted and pressed against the stator with a bearing and pressing device arranged in the housing;
in which the bearing and pressing device is coupled to the rotor to transmit a pressing force;
in which the rotor is configured to wobble when pressed against the stator;
in which the bearing and pressing device comprises a spring unit, the spring unit comprises one or more plate spring elements, the one or more plate spring elements comprises an annular shaped form; and
in which the one or more plate spring element comprises one or more circular-ring-shaped plate spring element, an outer edge of the circular-ring-shaped plate spring element being connected via at least one first wall to a substantially rigid annular support part, an inner edge of the circular-ring-shaped plate spring element being connected via at least one second wall to a substantially rigid base part, the substantially rigid base part being coupled to the rotor to transmit a pressing force to the rotor.

17. The switching valve of claim 16 further comprising: a coupling element to connect the rotor and the substantially rigid base part.

18. The switching valve of claim 16 , in which
(a) the first and second walls have a rigidity under extension in a longitudinal direction where a spring travel of the plate spring element is defined substantially by the spring travel, and
(b) the first and second walls have a rigidity under bending under compression movements of a plate spring region of the plate spring ele

Assignees

• Wiechers Joachim
• Hochgraeber Hermann
• Dionex Softron Gmbh

Inventors

• Wiechers Joachim
• Hochgraeber Hermann

Classifications

• G01N2030/202

  rotary valves · CPC title

• F16K3/10

  with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together · CPC title

• F16K11/0743

  with both the supply and the discharge passages being on one side of the closure plates · CPC title

• G01N30/22 Primary

  in high pressure liquid systems · CPC title

• G01N30/26 Primary

  Conditioning of the fluid carrier; Flow patterns · CPC title