RAPID EXHAUST VALVE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES AND PIPING SYSTEM OF RAILWAY VEHICLE

• US 20160178074A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: KITZ Corporation
• Original Assignee: KITZ Corporation
• Inventors: AOKI, Kazuhiro
• Application Number:
  US14/909,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20160178074A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/565 for railway-cars
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/076 with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0833 having all the connecting conduits situated in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0873 the plug being only rotatable around one spindle
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/22 with sealing faces shaped as surfaces of solids of revolution F16K13/02 takes precedence; with resilient valve members F16K3/28

Abstract

A rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles and a piping system of a railway vehicle, the piping system using the rapid exhaust valve, are provided. The rapid exhaust valve rapidly discharges pressure air from an automatic door opening/closing gear of a railway vehicle to allow manual operation of an automatic door, is made compact in overall size while giving an exhaust outlet a large bore diameter to reduce a venting time to keep it within a given time, shows superior operability to certainly prevent leakage at channel switching, allows a change in a piping direction and an operation direction according to an installation location while keeping the number of components small, and switches a channel to allow rapid venting from a desired pipeline.

Claims

1. A rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles, wherein

outflow/inflow ports and an exhaust outlet are formed on a valve element housing portion having a spherical surface portion, the valve element housing portion being formed on a part of an inner periphery of a body, wherein

a valve element having a spherical surface portion is inserted rotatably in the valve element housing portion through an opening formed on the valve element housing portion, the valve element having a plurality of through-holes communicating with the outflow/inflow ports or the exhaust outlet and a fitting slot counter to the outflow/inflow ports that is formed in a direction crossing the through-holes, and wherein

when a seal that closes the outflow/inflow ports or the exhaust outlet is fitted in the fitting slot and the opening is closed with a lid, the seal seals up any one of the outflow/inflow ports or the exhaust outlet to allow the outflow/inflow port and the exhaust outlet or one outflow/inflow port and another outflow/inflow port to communicate with each other through the through-holes, and the area of the exhaust outlet is adjusted properly to be able to determine a venting time required for venting from a piping for an automatic door opening/closing gear in an emergency situation or during maintenance work to be a given time.

2. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

a holding ring is interposed between a lower inner peripheral surface of the valve element housing portion and a lower outer peripheral surface of the valve element.

3. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

a mechanism that adjusts the area of the exhaust outlet is an exhaust orifice formed in the exhaust outlet.

4. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

the exhaust outlet is almost identical in bore diameter with the outflow/inflow port.

5. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

a spring is disposed between the lid and the valve element, and the seal can be fastened further with the lid closing the opening, via the spring.

6. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

a nozzle capable of changing a venting direction is fitted in the exhaust outlet.

7. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

a dustproofing cap that prevents entry of a foreign object into the valve is connected to the body, the cap in its connected state opening the exhaust outlet when subjected to a pressure of discharged air in exhaust mode and returning to a closing position to close the exhaust outlet in non-exhaust mode.

8. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

the exhaust outlet is fitted with a muffler that reduces an exhaust sound.

9. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

the exhaust outlet is fitted with a check valve capable of opening in a venting direction, which check valve prevents entry of an extraneous foreign object or water into the exhaust outlet.

15. A piping system of a railway vehicle, wherein

a plurality of the rapid exhaust valves for railway vehicles according to claim 1 are arranged in the middle of lines of a main pipe and a branch pipe or a pipeline branch section making up air piping that drives an automatic door opening/closing gear of the railway vehicle, and a variation in a venting time of each rapid exhaust valve is prevented to keep the venting time constant.

16. The piping system of the railway vehicle according to claim 15, wherein

the rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles is disposed in the middle of pressure piping for door opening that is provided inside or outside the railway vehicle.

10. A rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles, wherein

a valve element housing portion having a spherical surface portion is formed on a part of an inner periphery of a body having at least three or more outflow/inflow ports, wherein

a valve element having a spherical surface portion is inserted rotatably in the valve element housing portion through an opening formed on the valve element housing portion, the valve element having three or more through-holes communicating with the outflow/inflow ports and a fitting slot counter to the outflow/inflow ports that is formed in a direction crossing the through-holes, and wherein

a seal that closes the outflow/inflow ports is fitted in the fitting slot, the opening is closed with a lid that can be tightened further, and a resilient force of a spring disposed between the lid and the valve element causes the seal to seal up any one of the through-holes.

11. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 10, wherein

an upper stem formed on the valve element is fitted pivotally in a fitting hole formed on the body, via a seal, while a lower stem set opposite to the upper stem of the valve element is fitted pivotally in a fitting hole formed on the lid, via a seal to pivotally support the valve element between the body and the lid, thereby improve torque performance.

12. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 11, wherein

the upper stem and the lower stem are formed such that their shaft diameters are almost the same to apply an equal pressure.

13. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 11, wherein

the outflow/inflow ports are formed at 90 degrees intervals on the body such that an outflow/inflow port between two inline outflow/inflow ports serves an exhaust outlet and that directions of the two outflow/inflow ports are switched to reverse a direction of the exhaust outlet at 180 degrees, wherein

an operating handle having a stopper for regulating rotation is attached to the upper stem such that the operating handle can be set in arbitrary directions at 90 degrees intervals via an almost cross-shaped fitting hole, and wherein

mounting holes are formed at 90 degrees intervals at positions on the body at which the stopper is locked, and a locking pin allowing the stopper to be locked thereon is inserted in any one of the mounting holes to allow the handle to be shifted in an arbitrary opening/closing operation direction.

14. The rapid exhaust valve for railway vehicles according to claim 10, wherein

the lid is screwed into the opening via an O-ring such that a pressing force of the spring to the seal of the valve element can be adjusted by adjusting screwing of the lid.

17. A piping system of a railway vehicle, wherein

a plurality of the rapid exhaust valves for railway vehicles according to claim 10 are arranged in the middle of lines of a main pipe and a branch pipe or a pipeline branch section making up air piping that drives an automatic door opening/closing gear of the railway vehicle, and a variation in a venting time of each rapid exhaust valve is prevented to keep the venting time constant.