Low friction ball valve
First Claim
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1. A low friction ball valve comprising:
- a valve body defining an interior passage for fluid flow and having a seal disposed at least at one end of the passage;
at least two rollers each mounted on a pin fixed in the interior passage of the valve body;
a valve ball defining an interior passage and rotating within the valve body passage, closing the valve body passage in a first position by bearing against the seal, with the rollers each fitting within a detent in the valve ball in the first position, and the valve ball in a second position aligning its interior passage with that of the valve body, wherein in the second position the rollers each contact an outer surface of the valve ball, thereby reducing friction between the valve ball and the seal.
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Abstract
A low friction ball valve used for instance in an automatic shutoff valve system. The valve mechanism includes a spring loaded ball valve normally latched in the open position which is unlatched and hence closes in one version by the contraction of a BioMetal™ wire which activates a torsion spring to rotate the ball valve. When the valve is open, the ball inside the valve rests on rollers so that the ball is held slightly away from the seal of the valve located in the valve body. Closing the valve causes the rollers to snap into detents in the ball, and the ball then comes into firm contact with the seal.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A low friction ball valve comprising:
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a valve body defining an interior passage for fluid flow and having a seal disposed at least at one end of the passage; at least two rollers each mounted on a pin fixed in the interior passage of the valve body; a valve ball defining an interior passage and rotating within the valve body passage, closing the valve body passage in a first position by bearing against the seal, with the rollers each fitting within a detent in the valve ball in the first position, and the valve ball in a second position aligning its interior passage with that of the valve body, wherein in the second position the rollers each contact an outer surface of the valve ball, thereby reducing friction between the valve ball and the seal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification