Flow control valve with a flow meter

• US 5,890,515 A
• Filed: 03/10/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ostaco AG (Taco, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ostaco AG (Taco, Inc.)
• Inventors: Muntwyler, Stefan, Spiess, Fritz
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVELL, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US08/815,334
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 137/552, 137/556.3, 137/556.6, 137/559, 116/64, 116/273, 116/285, 73/861.71, 73/861.74
• US Class Current: 137/552
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/28 by drag-force, e.g. vane type or impact flowmeter
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/005 Valves valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8175 Plural
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8292 Movable indicator element is a pointer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8359 Inspection means

Abstract

The height of the valve with a flow meter shall be as small as possible, enabling it to be mounted in restricted spaces. In order to achieve this, all adjusting and display movements are not executed axial but on the contrary polar. The rotating spindle of the valve is designed as rotary slide valve and the display marker or the graduation of the display unit of the flow rate meter is present on a rotating bush. The total height of the valve with a flow meter is accordingly low and unchangeable.

Claims

1. A flow control valve with a flow meter, including

a housing having a conduit section;

a transverse tube which extends perpendicularly to said conduit section;

a rotating spindle arranged coaxially to said transverse tube and supported in said housing, which rotating spindle has a bore which is closed against the surroundings and extends through the spindle;

a position display bar which projects into said bore and has a spring supporting area;

a helical spring which is inserted between said spring supporting area and a spring support of the rotating spindle, which helical spring is adapted to determine an indicating position of said position display bar;

a valve closure body part adapted to be shut in an end position by means of said rotating spindle;

a flow receiving member located in said transverse tube and biased by said helical spring into a home position and adapted to be axially displaceable by a flow occurring in the conduit section;

which rotating spindle has a transparent portion;

a display unit including a graduation and a marker, so that a respective position of said flow receiving member displayed by the graduation and marker is readable from the outside through said transparent portion;

which transverse tube projects radially into said conduit section and supports said rotating spindle and said valve closure body which valve closure body is adapted to directly open and close an outlet port of the transverse tube upon a rotating movement of said rotating spindle;

which flow receiving member and which position display bar are guided in said valve closure body to be together axially displaceable;

in which said rotating spindle is designed as a rotary slide valve of which the valve closure body comprises a control edge which is rotatable and is arranged at the transverse tube;

which transverse tube has a port in its wall of which an edge forms a valve seat;

and in which said position display bar is guided against a rotation relative to said rotating spindle and is coupled to a rotating bush in such a manner that an axial movement of said position display bar is converted into a rotary movement of said rotating bush, which rotating bush carries a part of said position display unit.

2. The flow control valve of claim 1, comprising a means for a converting of a movement, which converting means is arranged between said position display bar and said rotating bush, and which converting means includes at least one sliding bar groove and at least one sliding bar guided for a movement in said sliding bar groove, which sliding bar groove is of a helical shape.

3. The flow control valve of claim 2, comprising two sliding bar grooves located diametrically opposite of each other, and comprising two sliding bars.

4. The flow control valve of claim 1, in which said rotating bush has a planar surface area including said marker, and in which said rotary slide valve has a further planar surface area supporting the graduation of said position display unit.

5. The flow control valve of claim 4, in which said housing has a planar surface area which includes a symbol carrier, further in which said rotary slide valve includes a further, second marker cooperating with said symbol carrier, and in which the three planar surface areas of the rotating bush, the rotary slide valve and the housing extend parallel to each other.

6. The flow control valve of claim 1, in which said position display bar is guided against rotation in said rotating spindle by means of an axial key-and-slot guiding arrangement.

7. The flow control valve of claim 5, in which said symbol carrier comprises symbols for an indication of the valve being open by 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 4/4 and 0, which 0-position indicates a leakage-proof position of the rotary slide valve.

8. The valve of claim 7, in which said symbol carrier carries an additional symbol which indicates the begin of the opening of the valve.