Valve assembly

• US 9,371,803 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Pifer, Daniel Lee, Mills, Vaughn, Sexton, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaudry, Atif
• Application Number:
  US14/575,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20150096633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03519 Valve arrangements in the vent line
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03302 Electromagnetic valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03514 with vapor recovery means
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 2025/0845 Electromagnetic valves
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0836 Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/18 with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/0413 in the form of closure plates
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 17/164 and remaining closed after return of the normal pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 24/04 for venting only F16K24/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0624 Lift valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0655 Lift valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87338 Flow passage with bypass

Abstract

An angle flow valve comprises a housing and a cover. The housing comprises a first recess for receiving a flow restrictor, a second recess for receiving a relief valve, a first port fluidly connected to the first recess, an angled flow path fluidly connected to the first recess and to the second recess, a second port fluidly connected to the angled flow path, and a relief passage between the first recess and the second recess. The first recess is parallel to the second recess, permitting drop-in assembly of the flow restrictor and relief valve. The cover comprises a solenoid assembly, and the cover couples to the housing by adjoining the solenoid against the flow restrictor and by adjoining the cover against the relief valve. A single o-ring seals the leak path between the cover and the housing.

Claims

1. An angle flow valve comprising:

a housing, the housing comprising;

a first recess for receiving a flow restrictor;

a second recess for receiving a relief valve;

a first port fluidly connected to the first recess;

an angled flow path fluidly connected to the first recess and to the second recess;

a second port fluidly connected to the angled flow path;

a relief passage between the first recess and the second recess; and

a cover comprising a solenoid assembly and a stop plate press-fit to retain the solenoid assembly in the cover,

wherein the first recess is parallel to the second recess,

wherein the first recess is cylindrical, wherein the second recess is cylindrical, and wherein the first recess is parallel in the housing with the second recess having a shared material in-between and form a step in the shared material to form the relief passage, and

wherein the cover couples to the housing by adjoining the solenoid against the flow restrictor and by adjoining the cover against the relief valve.

2. The angle flow valve of claim 1, wherein fluid flow is selectable between two flow paths:

a first flow path of the two flow paths is bidirectionally from the first port, through the first recess, through the angled flow path to the second port; and

a second flow path of the two flow paths is from the first port, through the first recess, through the relief passage, through the second recess, through the angled flow path to the second port.

3. The angle flow valve of claim 2, further comprising the flow restrictor, the flow restrictor comprising a first movable piston comprising a first seal with a first passage.

4. The angle flow valve of claim 3, wherein the first recess comprises at least an angled edge to selectively abut the first seal of the flow restrictor.

5. The angle flow valve of claim 4, wherein the flow restrictor is selectively movable among three positions:

a first position of the three positions blocks the first flow path while abutting the first seal against the angled edge;

a second position of the three positions enables fluid flow at a first rate while abutting the first seal against the angled edge; and

a third position of the three positions enables fluid flow at a second rate by moving the first seal away from the angled edge.

6. The angle flow valve of claim 3, wherein the first recess comprises at least a step to orient the flow restrictor.

7. The angle flow valve of claim 2, further comprising the relief valve, wherein the relief valve comprises:

a second movable piston comprising a second seal; and

a cartridge comprising a second passage,

wherein the relief valve is movable between a blocking position that blocks the second flow path and an opening position that opens the second flow path.

8. The angle flow valve of claim 7, further comprising at least one step in the second recess for orienting the relief valve.

9. The angle flow valve of claim 1, wherein the housing receives the flow restrictor and the relief valve by a drop-in assembly.

10. The angle flow valve of claim of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises at least one step for abutting the relief valve to orient the relief valve with respect to the relief passage.

11. The angle flow valve of claim of claim 1, wherein the stop plate comprises at least one step to orient the flow restrictor.

12. The angle flow valve of claim of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises at least one tabbed extension, wherein the housing further comprises at least one lip for connecting to the tabbed extension, and wherein the at least one tabbed extension snap-fits to the at least one lip to align the solenoid assembly with the flow restrictor.

13. The angle flow valve of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises a gland and an o-ring in the gland.

14. The angle flow valve of claim 13, wherein the o-ring surrounds the solenoid assembly, and wherein the o-ring seals the cover to the housing.

15. The angle flow valve of claim 14, wherein the housing comprises a perimeter edge, wherein the first recess and the second recess are circumferentially inward of the perimeter edge, and wherein the o-ring seals against the perimeter edge.

16. The angle flow valve of claim 13, wherein the o-ring does not impede fluid flow through the relief passage.

17. The angle flow valve of claim 1, wherein the first recess is along a first central axis and the second recess is along a second central axis parallel to the first central axis, wherein the first recess fluidly communicates with a first path perpendicular to the first central axis and fluidly communicates with a second path parallel to the first central axis, wherein the second path fluidly communicates with a third path perpendicular to the second path to form the angled flow path, wherein the third path is parallel to a fourth path, wherein the second recess fluidly communicates with the third path via a fifth path perpendicular to the third path, wherein the fifth path is parallel to the second central axis, and wherein the relief passage is parallel to the third path.

18. The angle flow valve of claim 17, wherein the third path is embedded in the housing beneath the relief valve and the flow restrictor so that the housing receives the relief valve and flow restrictor via a drop-in assembly method.