Not applicable.
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Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a water control valve core, and more particularly to an innovative core with a segmented locking function.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
The water control valve core is a major element of a hydrant. As for a bithermal hydrant, the water control valve core is generally provided with a swinging valve rod linked with the toggle switch of the hydrant, so that the opening and closing of hydrant could be controlled by coupling the valve rod with the toggle switch. However, when the toggle switch of the hydrant is opened by the operator, maximum water yield may occur quickly due to the extremely short stroke of the toggle switch. Even if the toggle switch is adjusted manually to get a smaller water yield, it is difficult to stably fix the toggle switch, so water yield will be likely changed, leading to waste of water resources in the event of bigger water yield of the hydrant.
To this end, a water control valve core with segmented locking function is developed, so that the swinging position of the valve rod could be interlocked for segmentation of the water yield. A flange is prefabricated by the valve rod and corresponding valve core for locking purposes.
The following shortcomings are observed during the actual applications:
1. Said flange must be sufficiently sized to yield the desired locking effect. With the repeated swinging of the valve rod, wear and tear of the flange may occur due to forcible friction during the process of locking. The locking effect will thus be affected or even lost in the case of thinning of the flange. Since the flange is prefabricated by the valve rod and valve core, it is impossible for replacement with single components.
2. The locking strength of the valve rod may vary depending on the different types of toggle switches, specifications of valve cores and customized requirements. The prefabrication of the aforementioned flange cannot be adapted flexibly, leading to higher manufacturing costs and lower economic efficiency.
Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that can significantly improve efficacy.
Therefore, the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.
Based upon the innovation of the present invention, an upper locking portion is placed under the bottom plate of the seat of the brake unit, and a collapsible lower locking unit is assembled onto the top of the driving seat of the water control element. The lower locking unit has a cylindrical shape or is made of elastic materials different from the bottom plate of the seat. The lower locking unit rolls or moves elastically when interlocking with the upper locking portion, leading to stronger strength of the interlocking element of the brake rod, a longer service life and improved replaceability.
Since the lower locking unit is of a collapsible type, the local arrangement may be changed depending upon the total configuration quantity, helping to change the locking strength more easily to meet the customized requirements for better economic efficiency.
Based on the structures, the aligned upper locking portion and lower locking unit from different sets are nonsynchronous locking, two or more sections being interlocked to meet diversified customer requirements.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The features and the advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The water control valve core A includes a valve casing 10, which is a hollow casing with a hold tank 11. A through-hole 12 is placed at top of the valve casing 10.
A brake unit 20 includes a seat 21 and a brake rod 22. A tube portion 211 on the seat 21 penetrates the through-hole 12 of the valve casing 10. A bottom plate 212 under the tube portion 211 is placed on the upper part of the hold tank of the valve casing. Moreover, a driven portion 221 (bulgy or spheric shape) at the bottom of the brake rod 22 penetrates the bottom plate 212.
A water control element 30 includes a base 31, a fixed valve 32, a free valve 33 and a driving seat 34. The base 31 is assembled onto the bottom of the valve casing 10, so the fixed valve 32, free valve 33 and driving seat 34 are arranged within the hold tank 11 of the valve casing 10. The top of the driving seat 34 aligns with the bottom plate 212 of the seat 21 of brake unit 20. A driven portion 340 (a trough) on top of the driving seat 34 could be adapted with driven portion 221 of the brake rod 22, so the driving seat 34 could be shifted transversely with the brake rod 22. Moreover, the top of the driving seat 34 is provided with at least a locating portion 341, which is of a groove shape.
An upper locking portion 40 is assembled under the bottom plate 212 of the seat 21 of the brake unit 20. The upper locking portion 40 of the preferred embodiment is a V-shaped plate formed between two flanges under the bottom plate 212.
A collapsible lower locking unit 50 is individually manufactured and then assembled onto the locating portion 341 at top of the driving seat 34 of the water control element 30. The lower locking unit 50 could be interlocked with the upper locking portion 40. The lower locking unit 50 of the preferred embodiment is of a plastic cylindrical shape.
The aligned upper locking portion 40 and lower locking unit 50 from different sets could be locked synchronously.
Based upon above-specified structures, the present invention is operated as follows:
Referring to
The aligned upper locking portion and lower locking unit from different sets could also be locked asynchronously for locking of two or more sections. Referring to
Additionally, since the lower locking unit 40 is of a collapsible type, the local arrangement may be changed depending upon the total configuration quantity. Referring to
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6796544 | Chen | Sep 2004 | B1 |
7357154 | Chen | Apr 2008 | B1 |
20060144449 | Cattaneo | Jul 2006 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20090242811 A1 | Oct 2009 | US |