Rotary valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482365-B2
Application number	US-201314378001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2013
Priority date	Feb 10, 2012
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A rotary valve capable of high flow rates, minimal pressure drop, and rapid actuation is presented. According to one aspect, the rotary valve is characterized by a unique pressure balancing system operating on the rotary spool of the valve to reduce side force caused by pressure at the flow ports. According to another aspect, the rotary valve ( 700 ) is characterized by a internal shiftable blocking spool ( 790 ) in response to a failure condition or a modulating signal. According to another aspect, an interface is provided for sealing a port of a rotary valve to an outer surface of a rotary spool. According to another aspect, the rotary valve is characterized by an interface provided for sealing a port to an outer surface of the rotary spool. According to another aspect, a rotary valve is characterized by a three-way three-or-more-position configuration. According to another aspect, a rotary valve is characterized by a four-port three-position configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary valve comprising:
a housing having a cavity;
a rotary spool positioned within and rotatably movable in the cavity of the housing about a rotation axis, the spool having a fluid passageway extending through the spool between first and second openings at an outer radial surface of the spool;
wherein the housing has four flow ports including first and second flow ports opening to the cavity at radially spaced apart locations that respectively will align with the first and second openings at the outer radial surface of the spool at a first rotated position of the rotary spool, a first balancing port opening to the cavity at a side of the cavity radially opposite the first flow port, and a balancing passageway outside of the valve spool for communicating fluid pressure from the first flow port to the first balancing port,
wherein the rotary spool is moveable to a first position to create a fluid passageway between the first flow port and the second flow port, a second position to create a fluid passageway between a third flow port and a fourth flow port, and a third position blocking flow through the valve,
wherein the housing includes a second balancing port opening to the cavity at a side of the cavity radially opposite the first flow port and a balancing passageway outside of the valve spool for communicating fluid pressure from the first flow port to the second balancing port, and
wherein the first and second balancing ports are axially offset from the first flow port and have a combined opening area approximately equal to the opening area of the first flow port, thereby reducing net torque applied to the rotary spool when pressurized.

2. The rotary valve of claim 1 , wherein the balancing ports are formed perpendicular to the outer radial surface of the spool.

3. The rotary valve of claim 1 , wherein the first and second opening of the rotary spool are radially opposite each other.

4. The rotary valve of claim 1 , wherein the first balancing port is directly opposite the first flow port in a radial direction.

5. The rotary valve of claim 1 , wherein the flow ports are formed perpendicular to a central axis of the cylindrical cavity.

6. The rotary valve of claim 1 , wherein the balancing passageway is contained within the housing and fluidly connects the first flow port to the first balancing port.

7. The rotary valve of claim 1 further comprising:
a pressure balanced or nearly pressure balanced seal member having a fluid passageway along a flow axis, the seal member coaxial with and disposed in the first flow port and having a sealing face for sealing against the rotary spool,
wherein the sealing face is concave along and concentric with the rotation axis of the rotary spool and thereby complimentary to the outer radial surface of the rotary spool.

8. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the seal member floats with respect to the housing.

9. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the seal member is configured to produce a biasing force in a direction towards the sealing face when subject to pressurized fluid.

10. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the seal member and the rotary spool form a metal-to-metal seal.

11. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the rotary valve further includes a second seal member having a fluid passageway along a flow axis, the second seal member coaxial with and disposed in the first balancing port and having a sealing face for sealing against the rotary spool;
wherein the sealing face is concave along and concentric with the rotation axis of the rotary spool and thereby complimentary to the outer radial surface of the rotary spool.

12. The rotary valve of claim 11 ,
wherein the rotary valve further includes a third seal member having a fluid passageway along a flow axis, the third seal member coaxial with and disposed in the second balancing port and having a sealing face for sealing against the rotary spool;
wherein the sealing face is concave along and concentric with the rotation axis of the rotary spool and thereby complimentary to the outer radial surface of the rotary spool.

13. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the seal is pressure balanced.

14. The rotary valve of claim 7 , further comprising a biasing element configured to bias the seal member in a direction towards the sealing face.

15. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the inlet diameter of the seal is approximately equal to the outlet diameter of the seal.

16. The rotary valve of claim 7 , wherein the inlet diameter of the seal is slightly larger than the outlet diameter of the seal.

17. A rotary valve comprising:
a housing having a cavity;
a rotary spool positioned within and rotatably movable in the cavity of the housing about a rotation axis, the spool having a fluid passageway extending through the spool between first and second openings at an outer radial surface of the spool;
wherein the housing includes first, second, third, and fourth flow ports opening to the cavity at radially spaced apart locations, and
wherein the rotary spool is movable between three positions, and wherein, in the first position, the rotary spool connects the first and second flow ports and connects the third and fourth flow ports, in the second position, the rotary spool connects the second and third flow ports and connects the first and fourth flow ports, and in the third position, the rotary spool disconnects the flow ports from each other, and
wherein each flow port is fluidly connected outside of the rotary spool to a respective axially offset pair of pressure balancing ports radially opposite their respective flow port.

18. A rotary valve comprising:
a housing having a cavity;
a rotary spool positioned within and rotatably movable in the cavity of the housing about a rotation axis, the spool having a fluid passageway extending through the spool between first and second openings at an outer radial surface of the spool, wherein the housing includes first and second flow ports opening to the cavity at radially spaced apart locations that respectively will align with the first and second openings at the outer radial surface of the spool at a first rotated position of the rotary spool, a first balancing port opening to the cavity at a side of the cavity radially opposite the first flow port, and a balancing passageway outside of the valve spool for communicating fluid pressure from the first flow port to the first balancing port; and
a pressure balanced or nearly pressure balanced seal member having a fluid passageway along a flow axis, the seal member coaxial with and disposed in the first flow port and having a sealing face for sealing against the rotary spool, wherein the sealing face is concave along and concentric with the rotation axis of the rotary spool and thereby complimentary to the outer radial surface of the rotary spool, wherein the seal member and the rotary spool form a metal-to-metal seal;
wherein the housing includes a second balancing port opening to the cavity at a side of the cavity radially opposite the first flow port and a balancing passageway outside of the valve spool for communicating fluid pressure from the first flow port to the second balancing port; and
wherein the first and second balancing ports are axially offset from the first flow port and have a combined opening area approximately equal to the opening area of the first flow port, thereby reducing net torque applied to the rotary spool when pressurized.

19. A rotary valve comprising:
a housing having a cavity;
a rotar

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Miller Iii John Allen
• Reynolds Dennis L
• Slattery Brian

Classifications

• F16K5/0464

  in the housing · CPC title

• F16K31/003

  operated without a stable intermediate position, e.g. with snap action (F16K31/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K39/045 Primary

  of rotating or pivoting type · CPC title

• F16K5/0407

  with particular plug arrangements, e.g. particular shape or built-in means · CPC title

• F16K11/0853

  having all the connecting conduits situated in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug · CPC title