VACUUM VALVE

• US 20070228314A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: GEISER, FRIEDRICH
• Granted Patent: US 7,413,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/158
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/10 with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/188 by means of hydraulic forces
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations

Abstract

A vacuum valve comprises a valve housing which has an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a valve disk which is located in the interior space of the valve housing and which is arranged at a carrying arm that is rigidly connected to a shaft which, for purposes of opening and closing the vacuum valve, is rotatable around its longitudinal axis and displaceable in axial direction, and a driving device for opening and closing the vacuum valve. The driving device comprises a rotary drive for rotating the shaft. The driving device further comprises a driving piston which is arranged in an inner cavity of the valve disk and which has, at least over portions of its circumference, a radial extension which is larger than the outlet opening with respect to the center longitudinal axis of the outlet opening and at which tappets are arranged on the side facing the outlet opening. The tappets are guided out of the inner cavity of the valve disk and are supported in the closed position of the valve disk at the valve housing in the area next to the outlet opening and press the valve disk against the valve seat and can be lifted from the valve housing for displacing the valve disk from its closed position into its intermediate position by means of a displacement of the driving piston. At least one spring element displaces the valve disk into its intermediate position by an axial displacement of the shaft.

Claims

1. A vacuum valve comprising:

a valve housing which has an inlet opening and an outlet opening penetrating opposite walls of the valve housing;

a valve seat surrounding the inlet opening;

a valve disk being located in the interior space of the valve housing and being arranged at a carrying arm that is rigidly connected to a shaft;

said shaft for purposes of opening and closing the vacuum valve, being rotatable around its longitudinal axis and displaceable in axial direction;

a driving device by which the valve disk can be adjusted from a closed position, in which it is pressed against the valve seat, into an open position, in which it releases the inlet opening, by way of an intermediate position in which it is lifted from the valve seat by an axial displacement of the shaft;

said driving device comprising a rotary drive for rotating the shaft and further comprising a driving piston being arranged in an inner cavity of the valve disk and having, at least over portions of its circumference, a radial extension which is larger than the outlet opening with respect to the center longitudinal axis of the outlet opening and at which tappets are arranged on the side facing the outlet opening;

said tappets being guided out of the inner cavity of the valve disk and being supported in the closed position of the valve disk at the valve housing in the area next to the outlet opening and pressing the valve disk against the valve seat and which can be lifted from the valve housing for displacing the valve disk from its closed position into its intermediate position by a displacement of the driving piston; and

at least one spring element displacing the valve disk into its intermediate position by an axial displacement of the shaft.

2. The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are circular in shape and are arranged coaxial to one another.

3. The vacuum valve according to claim 2, wherein the valve disk is circular in shape viewed in axial direction of the inlet opening.

4. The vacuum valve according to claim 3, wherein the driving piston is circular in shape viewed in axial direction of the outlet opening.

5. The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the tappets are arranged in the area of the circumferential edge of the driving piston and are spaced apart from one another in circumferential direction of the driving piston.

6. The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the tappets have external threads by which they are screwed into threaded bore holes of the driving piston.

7. The vacuum valve according to claim 1, wherein the driving piston can be actuated pneumatically.

8. The vacuum valve according to claim 7, wherein the driving piston is biased in direction of one of its end positions by springs.

9. The vacuum valve according to claim 8, wherein, between the portion of the inner cavity of the valve disk, which is acted upon by compressed air for the displacement of the driving piston against the force of the at least one spring, and the sealed feedthroughs for guiding the tappets out of the inner cavity of the valve disk, there is a portion of the inner cavity which is sealed relative to the portion of the inner cavity acted upon by pressure and which is connected to the atmosphere or evacuated via a channel.