WO2020181477A1 - Air valve and air compressor - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an air valve, comprising: a valve seat, wherein an air inlet (12) of the air valve is provided in the valve seat; and a valve body (30), wherein the valve body is provided with a fitting portion for being joined to the valve seat, and the fitting portion is made of a flexible material. The air valve has a closed state and an open state, wherein in the closed state, the fitting portion of the valve body (30) closes the air inlet (12), and in the open state, the air inlet (12) is opened. Further provided is an air compressor, wherein a piston (10) of the air compressor is provided with an air inlet valve, and the air inlet valve is the air valve.

Description

Air valve and air compressor Technical field

The present invention relates to an air valve, and further relates to an air compressor including the air valve.

Background technique

Reciprocating piston air compressor is a device used to compress gas. A common air compressor of this kind has a cylinder and a piston, and the piston acts as a compression element to periodically reciprocate in the cylinder.

When the piston reciprocates in the cylinder, the compression space formed by the piston and the cylinder (called the working volume) periodically expands and contracts. When the space expands, the gas in the cylinder expands, the pressure drops, and the gas is sucked in; when the space shrinks, the gas is compressed, the pressure rises, and the gas is discharged. The piston reciprocates once to complete the four processes of expansion, suction, compression, and exhaust in sequence, which is collectively called a working cycle.

The intake valve of the air compressor in the prior art is a thin metal sheet arranged at the intake port at the end of the piston. When the compression space expands, the thin metal sheet will be pushed away by the intake air, allowing air to enter the cylinder. This type of intake valve only uses a flat thin metal sheet to cover the intake port of the piston, which has poor sealing ability and is prone to noise.

Summary of the invention

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved gas valve.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air compressor including the aforementioned air valve.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention provides a gas valve, wherein the gas valve includes:

A valve seat, the air inlet of the gas valve is located on the valve seat;

A valve body, the valve body has a mating part for engaging with the valve seat, the mating part is made of a flexible material, wherein

The air valve has a closed state and an open state. In the closed state, the fitting portion of the valve body closes the air inlet; in the open state, the air inlet is opened.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the flexible material is silicone or fluorine rubber.

Optionally, in the aforementioned gas valve, the valve body is installed on the valve seat, and an installation gasket is used on the installation position of the valve body.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, a curved convex portion is formed on the valve body, and in the closed state, at least a part of the curved convex portion is adapted to extend into the intake air mouth.

Optionally, in the aforementioned gas valve, the curved convex portion is a spherical convex portion.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the mating part is the curved convex part.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the curved convex portion and the air inlet of the valve seat form a line contact fit.

Optionally, in the aforementioned gas valve, the curved convex portion is a spherical convex portion.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the periphery of the air inlet has a chamfer, and the chamfer is suitable for shape matching with the curved convex portion.

Optionally, in the gas valve as described above, the matching part is an annular gasket.

Optionally, in the gas valve as described above, a curved convex portion is provided inside the annular gasket in the radial direction.

Optionally, in the gas valve as described above, the valve body further has a base, and the base is located on one side of the mating part for installation of the valve body.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the base is made of a hard material.

Optionally, in the gas valve as described above, a mounting gasket or a boss integrated with the valve body is provided on the base on the same side as the mating part.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, the base and the mating part are integrally formed, and there is a flexible connecting part between the base and the mating part.

Optionally, in the gas valve as described above, there is a smooth transition between the connecting portion and the base portion.

Optionally, in the air valve as described above, a reinforcing rib is formed on the connecting portion.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective of the present invention, a second aspect of the present invention provides a reciprocating piston air compressor, wherein an intake valve is provided at the piston of the air compressor, and the intake valve is as described above. The gas valve of any one of the aspects.

Optionally, in the aforementioned air compressor, the end of the piston serves as a valve seat of the air valve.

Optionally, in the aforementioned air compressor, a recess is formed at the end of the piston, and the bottom surface of the recess is used as a valve seat of the air valve.

Description of the drawings

With reference to the drawings, the content of the present invention will be more apparent. It should be understood that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. In the picture:

Figure 1 schematically shows a cylinder-piston mechanism for an air compressor, which includes an air valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 schematically shows the piston of the cylinder-piston mechanism in Figure 1;

Figure 3 schematically shows a top view of the piston in Figure 2;

Figure 4 schematically shows a perspective view of the valve body in Figures 1-3;

Figure 5 schematically shows the open state of the air valve in Figures 1-3;

Figure 6 schematically shows a partial view of the piston, which includes yet another embodiment of the gas valve;

Figure 7 schematically shows a partial view of the piston, which includes another embodiment of the gas valve;

Figure 8 schematically shows a top view of the piston in Figure 7;

Figure 9 schematically shows a perspective view of the valve body in Figures 7-8;

Fig. 10 schematically shows a top view of the piston, which includes another installation method of the air valve in Fig. 8; and

FIG. 11 schematically shows the open state of the gas valve installed according to FIG. 10.

detailed description

The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding technical features. The drawings are only schematic and are not drawn to actual scale.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a cylinder-piston mechanism for an air compressor, which includes an air valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This cylinder-piston mechanism can be applied to air compressors for many different purposes, including but not limited to vehicle-mounted tire replacement compressors. For example, it can also be used in air compressors for rapid inflation and/or pressurization of basketballs and air beds.

As shown in the figure, in this alternative embodiment, the cylinder-piston mechanism includes a piston 10 and a cylinder 20. An air compression space is formed in the cylinder 20, and the figure also shows an exhaust port 21 of the air compression space. The piston head 11 of the piston 10 can reciprocate left and right in the cylinder 20 so as to periodically expand and compress the air compression space. The piston head 11 has an air inlet 12 which opens at the end of the piston head 11. When the piston moves to the left in the figure, air is sucked into the air compression space through the air inlet 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, a valve body 30 is provided at the end of the piston head 11 at the air inlet 12. The valve body 30 cooperates with the end of the piston head 11 as a valve seat, and the two together form a gas valve.

When the piston 10 moves to the right in FIG. 1, the space of the air compression space is reduced, the gas is compressed, the intake port 12 is closed by the valve body 30, the pressure increases, and the gas is discharged from the exhaust port 21. When the piston moves to the left, the space becomes larger, the air pressure decreases, the air inlet 12 is opened, and air is sucked in from the air inlet 12.

Fig. 2 schematically shows the piston of the cylinder-piston mechanism in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 schematically shows a top view of the piston in Fig. 2.

As shown in the example shown in the figure, the piston 10 may include a piston head 11 and a piston rod 13, which may be integrally formed or separately processed and assembled together. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve body 30 is installed at the air inlet 12 by a rivet 40, and by turning the valve body 30, it is suitable for opening and closing the air inlet 12 to control the entry of air into the space.

In the illustrated embodiment, the valve body 30 has a curved convex portion, which serves as a mating part of the valve body 30 and is suitable for engaging with the valve seat of the air valve. In the closed state of the air valve, as shown in the figure, the curved convex portion of the valve body 30 cooperates with the periphery of the air inlet 12 to form a seal. According to this embodiment, in the closed state of the air valve, a part of the curved convex portion is adapted to extend into the air inlet 12. The curved convex portion can be made of flexible materials such as silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, etc., to increase air tightness and reduce noise.

In this case where the curved convex portion and the air inlet are matched for sealing, the place where the two are matched is a circular or elliptical line, forming a line contact instead of a surface contact, which is beneficial to reduce noise and increase sealing.

In other embodiments, pistons and cylinders of other structures may be used, or other common installation methods may be used to install the valve body 30 on the air inlet 12.

It can be seen from FIG. 3 that, in this embodiment, two rivets are schematically used to install the valve body 30. It can be adjusted as needed in specific applications.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a perspective view of the valve body in Figs. 1-3.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the valve body 30 may be in the form of a valve plate. The valve body 30 may include a base 32 and a main body formed with a curved protrusion 31. The base 32 and the curved protrusion 31 are integrally formed, and there is a flexible connection between the base 32 and the curved protrusion 31. In the illustrated embodiment, a reinforcing rib 33 is also advantageously formed on the connecting portion to enhance the connecting portion and increase the service life.

In order to adapt to the circular air inlet 12, in the illustrated embodiment, the curved convex portion 31 formed on the valve body 30 is a spherical convex portion, which uses a spherical surface as a mating surface with the air inlet 12. In this case where the spherical convex portion is matched with the air inlet, the place where the two are matched is a circular or elliptical line, forming a line contact instead of a surface contact, which is beneficial to reduce noise and increase sealing. In this embodiment, the top surface of the spherical protrusion 31 is a part taken from the spherical surface.

In other embodiments, according to needs, the air inlet of the air valve can be shaped other than round. Correspondingly, in order to match the shape of the air inlet, the mating surface on the valve body 30 can be designed as an appropriate curved convex portion.

As mentioned above, in order to increase the air tightness and reduce noise when the air valve is closed, the curved convex portion (such as the spherical convex portion in the figure) may be made of a flexible material such as silicone.

In the example shown in the figure, the valve body 30 also has a base 32 which is located on one side of the curved convex portion and is used for installation of the valve body. In order to ensure the stability of the installation, the base 32 may be made of a hard material (as opposed to the flexible curved convex portion and the connecting portion); or, the hardness of the base may be increased by increasing the thickness. In addition, the increased thickness of the base can form a boss integral with the valve body relative to the connecting part, so as to facilitate the matching position of the curved boss and the air inlet and ensure the air tightness of the matching. A metal installation gasket (refer to the metal installation gasket 53 in FIG. 9) may also be provided at the base, and the metal installation gasket may be provided on the same side as the mating part.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base 32 and the curved convex portion 31 are integrally formed, and there is an integrated flexible connecting portion between the base 32 and the curved convex portion 31. In an alternative embodiment, the base, the curved convex portion, and the connecting portion may also be non-integrated components.

In the illustrated embodiment, in order to avoid premature failure of the integrated valve body 30 due to stress concentration, a smooth transition is formed between the connection part and the base part. In addition, it can be seen from the figure that in order to avoid stress concentration, the reinforcing rib 33 extends continuously between the curved convex portion 31 and the base 32.

Fig. 5 schematically shows the open state of the air valve in Figs. 1-3.

As shown in the figure, the air valve includes a valve seat (the end of the piston 10) and a valve body 30, wherein the valve body 30 is turned to open.

In the open state shown in the figure, the air inlet 12 on the valve seat is opened, and air can flow through the air inlet 12 and enter the compression space of the air compressor.

In one embodiment, the closed state of the gas valve may be the default state. In the non-pressure state, the valve body 30 is closed on the air inlet 12 to close the air inlet. During the compression of the compression space, the pressure inside the space increases, and the curved convex portion is pushed tightly on the air inlet 12, making the closing of the air inlet 12 more airtight.

In order to increase the air tightness of the air valve between the curved convex portion 31 and the air inlet 12, a chamfer may be provided around the periphery of the air inlet. The chamfer may be a rounded corner, for example, the shape of the rounded corner may be consistent with the shape of the curved convex portion. Taking into account the high frequency collision between the valve body and the valve seat, the rounded corners are beneficial to reduce noise and reduce wear.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a partial view of the piston, which includes another embodiment of the gas valve. Compared with the air valve on the piston in FIGS. 1-5, the only difference is that a recess is formed at the end of the piston and around the intake port 12. The valve body 30 is provided in the recess. In an alternative embodiment, the height of the installed valve body 30 does not exceed the top surface of the recess. The bottom surface 14 of the recess can be used as a valve seat of an air valve. The periphery of the air inlet 12 is formed at the bottom surface 14 of the recess, and the curved convex portion of the valve body 30 is matched with it. This structure is beneficial to reduce the clearance volume of the compression space and improve the efficiency of the compressor; is beneficial to avoid possible interference with the movement of the bottom of the cylinder; facilitates the positioning and installation of the valve body, and improves production efficiency.

Figure 7 schematically shows a partial view of the piston, which includes another embodiment of a gas valve.

As can be seen from the figure, in this embodiment, an air inlet 12 is formed at the end of the piston head of the piston 10. In this embodiment, the curved convex portion 51 on the valve body 50 is no longer used as a mating part for engaging with the valve seat (that is, the end of the piston head), but as a guide member to ensure the valve body when the valve is closed. Correct engagement with valve seat. Alternatively, an annular gasket 52 (shown more clearly in FIG. 9) on the outer periphery of the curved convex portion 51 on the valve body is used as a mating part for engaging with the valve seat. The annular gasket 52 can be made of flexible materials such as but not limited to silica gel. In an alternative embodiment, the annular gasket 52 may be integrally formed on the valve body. The curved convex portion may also be a spherical convex portion. In this embodiment, in the closed state of the air valve, the curved convex portion can fully extend into the air inlet 12.

The figure shows that the valve body 50 can also be installed at the air inlet 12 by a rivet 40. According to the embodiment in the figure, the rivet 40 installs the valve body 50 at the air inlet 12 through the base of the valve body 50. It is not excluded here that the valve body 50 is fixedly installed in other common ways, such as but not limited to bolts.

In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting portion between the base and the mating part of the valve body 50 may be flexible to facilitate opening and closing of the valve.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a top view of the piston in Fig. 7. Similar to FIG. 3, two rivets 40 are also used schematically to install the valve body 50 to the piston head 11. It can be adjusted as needed in specific applications.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a perspective view of the valve body in Figs. 7-8.

The figure shows the curved protrusion 51 on the valve body 50, the annular gasket 52 and the metal mounting gasket 53. The ring gasket 52 is used as a fitting portion for engaging the valve seat. The curved convex portion 51 is on the outer periphery of the annular gasket 52, so that when the curved convex portion 51 enters the air inlet 12, the annular gasket 52 can be aligned with the valve seat, which is beneficial to the tight sealing of the air valve. The metal mounting gasket 53 is located at the base on one side of the mating part. A mounting gasket made of non-metallic materials can also be used here. In an alternative embodiment, the curved convex portion that plays a guiding role may also be eliminated. The curved convex portion 51 may be a spherical convex portion.

FIG. 10 schematically shows a top view of the piston, which includes another installation method of the air valve in FIG. 7. FIG. 11 schematically shows the open state of the gas valve installed according to FIG. 10. In this installation method, an installation gasket is used on the installation part of the valve body.

Specifically, compared with FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the rivet 40 is installed to the piston head 11 by the metal mounting gasket 60 with the valve body 50. At the installation position of the valve body 50 (for example, the base of the valve body in the figure), the installation gasket 60 is cushioned between the valve body 50 and the piston head 11. The metal mounting gasket is also suitable for other fixing methods such as bolts. This installation method using the metal installation gasket 60 is also applicable to the installation of the valve bodies 30 and 50 in FIGS. 3 and 8. The metal mounting gasket can be made of stainless steel, and can adopt a crescent shape as shown in FIG. 10, or any other suitable shape. The use of the metal mounting gasket can advantageously prevent the valve body from falling off. In order to adapt to mass production, ultrasonic welding can also be used to install the valve body.

Regarding the foregoing various embodiments of the air valve, the curved convex portion on the valve body also has the following functions:

(1) When a valve with a curved convex portion is opened, the curvature of the valve body is relatively low compared to a valve without a curved convex portion, which is beneficial to improve the life of the valve; (2) There is a curved convex portion The opening angle of the valve is relatively small, so it is relatively more timely when closing the valve; (3) The lift of the valve is relatively small when there are curved protrusions, so the degree of impact on the end of the piston when the valve is closed Relatively small, the resulting noise is relatively small.

It should be noted here that, unless it is not possible for those skilled in the art, the features of the valve body 30 described in relation to FIGS. 1-6 are also applicable to the valve body 50 described in relation to FIGS. 7-9 and 10-11; Vice versa, the features of the valve body 50 described with respect to FIGS. 7-9 and 10-11 are also applicable to the valve body 30 described with respect to FIGS. 1-6. For example, in the modified embodiment of the valve body 50 of FIGS. 7-9, a flexible connecting portion may also be provided between the base and the mating part, a smooth transition may also be provided between the connecting portion and the base, and the connecting portion may also be formed There are ribs, etc. I won't repeat them here.

The present invention also provides a reciprocating piston air compressor, the piston may be provided with an intake valve, and the intake valve may be any of the above-mentioned air valves. As described in the previous example, in such an air compressor, the end of the piston can be used as the valve seat of the air valve.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the content in the above description. Those skilled in the art can make various deformations and modifications to the above embodiments without departing from the technical idea of the present invention, and these deformations and modifications should belong to Within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A gas valve, characterized in that the gas valve comprises: A valve seat, the air inlet of the gas valve is located on the valve seat; A valve body, the valve body has a mating part for engaging with the valve seat, the mating part is made of a flexible material, wherein The air valve has a closed state and an open state. In the closed state, the fitting portion of the valve body closes the air inlet; in the open state, the air inlet is opened. The gas valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve body is installed on the valve seat, and an installation gasket is used on the installation position of the valve body. The air valve according to claim 1, wherein a curved convex portion is formed on the valve body, and in the closed state, at least a part of the curved convex portion is adapted to extend into the air inlet, Wherein, the matching part is the curved convex part. 8. The air valve of claim 3, wherein the curved convex portion and the air inlet of the valve seat form a line contact fit. The air valve according to claim 3, wherein the periphery of the air inlet has a chamfer, and the chamfer is suitable for shape matching with the curved convex portion. 3. The gas valve according to claim 1, wherein the fitting part is an annular gasket, and a curved convex portion is provided in the radial inner portion of the annular gasket. 7. The gas valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the valve body further has a base, and the base is located on one side of the mating part for installation of the valve body. The air valve according to claim 7, wherein a mounting gasket or a boss integral with the valve body is provided on the base on the same side as the mating part. 7. The air valve according to claim 7, wherein the base and the mating part are integrally formed, and there is a flexible connecting part between the base and the mating part. A reciprocating piston air compressor, characterized in that an intake valve is provided at the piston of the air compressor, and the intake valve is the air valve according to any one of the preceding claims 1-9, Wherein, the end of the piston is used as the valve seat of the air valve; or, a recess is formed at the end of the piston, and the bottom surface of the recess is used as the valve seat of the air valve.

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