DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONNECTING IN A SWITCHABLE MANNER

• US 20150158058A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beatrice Saier, Michael Saier
• Original Assignee: Beatrice Saier, Michael Saier
• Inventors: Saier, Michael, Weber, Lothar
• Granted Patent: US 10,780,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0322 in combination with a plug, e.g. inflatable mole, to isolate a part of the tube plugging pigs for stopping flow in pipes F16L55/1283
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/074 with flat sealing faces
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0743 with both the supply and the discharge passages being on one side of the closure plates
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/085 with cylindrical plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0419 Fluid cleaning or flushing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4259 With separate material addition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86501 Sequential distributor or collector type

Abstract

The invention relates, among other items, to a device (10) with a plurality of inlets (27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, 27e, 27f) and one outlet (19), wherein each of the inlets (27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, 27e, 27f) can be connected to a material supply container (13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f). An actuator (12) that can be displaced relative to the inlets and has a through-channel (42) is furnished in order to provide a switchable connection between one of the plurality of inlets and the outlet. A communicative connection can be created between the through-channel and one of the various inlets in order to allow various materials to be successively supplied to the outlet. One of the characteristic features is that at least one of the inlets (28) is designed as a flushing medium inlet of a flushing device (47) and that, as a result of the actuator (12) being displaced, a communicative connection can be created between the through-channel (42) and the flushing medium inlet for the purposes of flushing the through channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus with a plurality of inlet ports and an outlet port, wherein the inlet ports are respectively connectable to a material supply container, and wherein a valve body having a throughgoing passage is provided that is displaceable relative to the inlet ports to provide a switchable connection between a respective one of the plurality of inlet ports and the outlet port, wherein the passage can be brought into a communicative connection selectively with a respective one of the various inlet ports to enable feeding of different materials successively to the outlet port, wherein at least one of the inlet ports is constituted as a flushing medium inlet port of a flushing device, and that the passage can be brought into a communicative connection with the flushing medium inlet port by a displacement of the valve body for the purpose of flushing of the passage.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flushing medium inlet port is disposed respectively between two material inlet ports that can be aligned with by a mouth region of the passage.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flushing device comprises a flushing medium distributor passage, that connects a plurality of flushing medium inlet ports to a common flushing medium supply.

7. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein a flushing device is provided for flushing the passage, the flushing device being connected to the water main with the interposition of a pipe disconnecting device.

8. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein an apparatus for the through-flow measurement is disposed downstream of the outlet port.

9. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein an apparatus is provided for detecting the position of the valve body.

10. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein a gear-tooth system, such as a toothed wheel or toothed rod, is assigned to the valve body, the gear-tooth system cooperating with a counter gear-tooth system, e.g. a toothed wheel that can be operated by a drive for the purpose of displacing the valve body.

12. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, characterized by an apparatus 10b according to claim 11, wherein the outlet port of apparatus 10a of the preamble of claim 1 is in a communicative connection with the inlet port of apparatus 10b according to claim 11.

13. The apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein an apparatus for measuring the conductivity is disposed downstream of the outlet port.

4. A method for the switchable connection of a respective inlet port from a plurality of material inlet ports to an outlet port, in order to feed different materials successively to the outlet port, wherein the inlet ports are respectively connected to a material supply container, wherein a valve body displaceable relative to the inlet ports is provided with a passage, and wherein the passage can be brought into a communicative connection optionally with one of the various inlet ports respectively, characterized by the steps:

a) displacement of the valve body into a first position in which the passage is brought into a communicative connection with a first inlet port,

b) operation of a pump in order to carry a first material out of the first inlet port into the passage,

c) displacement of the valve body into a second position in which the passage is no longer in a communicative connection with the first inlet port,

d) introduction of a flushing medium into the passage in order to flush the passage.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the following steps are carried out after steps a) to d) have been carried out:

e) displacement of the valve body into a further position in which the passage is brought into a communicative connection with a further inlet port,

f) operation of a pump in order to carry a further material out of the further inlet port into the passage,

g) displacement of the valve body into a further, changed position in which the passage is no longer in a communicative connection with the further inlet port,

h) introduction of a flushing medium into the passage.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein steps e) to g) are repeated several times, wherein step h) is carry out each time after steps e) to g) are carried out.

11. An apparatus with an inlet port and a plurality of outlet ports, wherein the inlet port can be connected to a material supply container, and wherein the outlet ports can be connected respectively to a user, and wherein a valve body displaceable relative to the outlet ports is provided with a passage in order to make available a switchable connection between the inlet port and one of the respective outlet ports, wherein the passage can be brought into a communicative connection optionally with one respective of the various outlet ports in order to be able to feed the material fed via the inlet port successively to the various outlet ports.