Combination ball valve and pressure relief valve assembly
First Claim
1. A valve assembly comprising, in combination:
- first and second valve ports for connections into a fluid circuit;
a valve element movable between a closed valve position sealing at least one of the first and second valve ports and an open valve position accommodating fluid flow between the first and second valve ports; and
a relief valve incorporated in the valve element to permit pressure-relieving fluid flow between the first and second valve ports in response to excessive valve fluid pressure when the valve element is in the closed valve position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
To provide pressure relief in a fluid line of a fluidic circuit, the ball element of a shutoff valve incorporates a tube that is aligned with a pair of valve ports when the ball is in the closed valve position. A miniature check valve, positioned in the tube, operates, depending on its orientation, to check fluid flow through the tube between the valve ports in one direction and to vent fluid through the tube in the opposite direction in response to excessive fluid pressure. In an alternative embodiment, a pair of tubes are incorporated into the ball valve element, with the check valves therein oriented in opposed directions to provide bidirectional pressure relief between the valve ports.
40 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A valve assembly comprising, in combination:
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first and second valve ports for connections into a fluid circuit; a valve element movable between a closed valve position sealing at least one of the first and second valve ports and an open valve position accommodating fluid flow between the first and second valve ports; and a relief valve incorporated in the valve element to permit pressure-relieving fluid flow between the first and second valve ports in response to excessive valve fluid pressure when the valve element is in the closed valve position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification