Search

EP-4741693-A1 - AIR VALVE, AIR VALVE ASSEMBLY, AND INFLATABLE PRODUCT

EP4741693A1EP 4741693 A1EP4741693 A1EP 4741693A1EP-4741693-A1

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air valve (200), an air valve assembly, and an inflatable product. The air valve includes: a valve body (201); a valve seat (202) connected to the valve body to form a fluid channel (205); a first sealing member (204) arranged between the valve body and the valve seat; and a valve core (203) including air vents (2031) in communication with the fluid channel, the valve core being rotatably arranged in the fluid channel relative to the valve seat and being surrounded by the first sealing member, so as to switch the valve core between a first position and a second position, where in the first position, the valve core is in contact with an inner wall (2051) of the fluid channel, and the first sealing member is in contact with the valve core and seals the valve core against the inner wall of the fluid channel; and in the second position, the valve core is spaced apart from the inner wall of the fluid channel, and the first sealing member surrounds the valve core and is spaced apart from the valve core. The present invention can stabilize a sealing effect.

Inventors

  • ZENG, XIANGLIN
  • SONG, QINGSHUI

Assignees

  • Bestway Inflatables & Material Corp.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250508

Claims (20)

  1. An air valve (200), characterized by comprising: a valve body (201); a valve seat (202) connected to the valve body (201) to form a fluid channel (205); a first sealing member (204) arranged between the valve body (201) and the valve seat (202); and a valve core (203) comprising air vents (2031) in communication with the fluid channel (205), the valve core (203) being rotatably arranged in the fluid channel (205) relative to the valve seat (202) and being surrounded by the first sealing member (204), so as to switch the valve core (203) between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the valve core (203) is in contact with an inner wall (2051) of the fluid channel (205), and the first sealing member (204) is in contact with the valve core (203) and seals the valve core (203) against the inner wall (2051) of the fluid channel (205); and in the second position, the valve core (203) is spaced apart from the inner wall (2051) of the fluid channel (205), and the first sealing member (204) surrounds the valve core (203) and is spaced apart from the valve core (203).
  2. The air valve of claim 1, characterized in that at least one rib (2041) is provided on a side of the first sealing member (204) facing the valve core (203), and the at least one rib (2041) is spaced apart in a circumferential direction, wherein in the first position, the at least one rib (2041) abuts against the valve core (203); and in the second position, the at least one rib (2041) surrounds the valve core (203) and is spaced apart from the valve core (203).
  3. The air valve of claim 1, characterized in that the valve core (203) is capable of 360-degree omnidirectional rotation within the fluid channel (205), enabling unrestricted multi-axis movement centered at a central axis (203a) of the valve core (203).
  4. The air valve of claim 1, characterized in that an inner wall of the valve body (201) protrudes to form a first connecting portion (2013), and the valve seat (202) comprises a first main body portion (2021), wherein the first main body portion (2021) is internally hollow and is connected to the valve body (201) to form the fluid channel (205), the first main body portion (2021) extends in an axial direction, such that the first main body portion (2021) and the first connecting portion (2013) are arranged opposite each other and spaced apart in the axial direction and form an accommodating space (2022) together with the inner wall of the valve body (201), and the first sealing member (204) is located in the accommodating space (2022).
  5. The air valve of claim 4, characterized in that a hook (2015) is provided at a top end of the inner wall of the valve body (201) in the axial direction, the hook (2015) and the first connecting portion (2013) are spaced apart in the axial direction, a mounting portion (2023) is provided on an outer wall of the first main body portion (2021), and the mounting portion (2023) is configured for connection to the hook (2015) in a snap-fit manner to connect the valve seat (202) to the valve body (201) and clamp the first sealing member (204) in the accommodating space (2022).
  6. The air valve of claim 4, characterized in that an outer periphery of the first main body portion (2021) protrudes outwardly to form a first abutting portion (2024), and the first abutting portion (2024) is configured for connection to an inflatable main body (100); said first abutting portion (2024) being annular.
  7. The air valve of claim 4, characterized in that an outer periphery of the first main body portion (2021) protrudes outwardly to form a second abutting portion (2027), the second abutting portion (2027) axially extends in a direction close to the valve body (201) and is spaced apart from the first main body portion (2021) in a radial direction to form an annular groove (2028), and the annular groove (2028) is configured to accommodate the valve body (201) and is in threaded fit with an outer wall of the valve body (201) to clamp the first sealing member (204) in the accommodating space (2022).
  8. The air valve of claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of supports (2011) are provided on a side of the valve body (201) away from the valve seat (202), the plurality of supports (2011) are spaced apart in a circumferential direction to form a plurality of air outlet through holes (2012), and the plurality of air outlet through holes (2012) are in communication with the fluid channel (205).
  9. The air valve of claim 8, characterized in that eight supports (2011) are provided, one end of each of the supports (2011) extends toward the valve seat (202) and is connected to the first connecting portion (2013), the other end thereof is connected by means of a second connecting portion (2014), and the second connecting portion (2014) is located at a bottom end of the valve body (201).
  10. The air valve of claim 1, characterized by further comprising a valve cap (207), the valve cap (207) being threadedly connected to the valve seat (202).
  11. The air valve of claim 10, characterized in that the valve cap (207) comprises a first portion (2072) and a second portion (2073), the first portion (2072) and the second portion (2073) being spaced apart in a radial direction to form a connecting groove (2074), and the connecting groove (2074) being configured to accommodate the valve seat (202) and being threadedly connected to the valve seat (202).
  12. The air valve of claim 11, characterized in that the first portion (2072) is internally hollow and is in communication with the fluid channel (205), a plurality of reinforcing ribs (2076) is provided inside the first portion (2072), and the plurality of reinforcing ribs (2076) are spaced apart in a circumferential direction.
  13. The air valve of claim 11, characterized in that a second sealing member (2075) is provided in the connecting groove (2074) to enable a sealed connection between the valve cap (207) and the valve seat (202).
  14. The air valve of claim 1, characterized in that the valve core (203) is provided with a plurality of baffle plates (2032), the plurality of baffle plates (2032) are spaced apart in a circumferential direction to form the air vents (2031), one end of each of the plurality of baffle plates (2032) is connected to an inner wall of the valve core (203), and the other end thereof is connected to a third connecting portion (2034).
  15. The air valve of claim 14, characterized in that at least a part of an inner wall of each air vent (2031) is provided with a stopper (2033), and the stopper (2033) extends toward the air vent (2031).
  16. The air valve of claim 15, characterized in that the stopper (2033) is an annular block, one side of the stopper (2033) is connected to the inner wall of the air vent (2031), and the other side thereof extends toward the air vent (2031); or the stopper (2033) is arranged at the bottom, middle or top of the inner wall of the air vent (2031) in an axial direction; or the stopper (2033) is integrally formed with the valve core (203); or the stopper (2033) extends toward a through hole with a length of 1.5 mm to 4 mm and extends in the circumferential direction with a width of 1.5 mm to 4 mm; or in that a plurality of stoppers (2033) are provided, and the plurality of stoppers (2033) are spaced apart in the circumferential direction.
  17. The air valve of claim 14, characterized by further comprising a valve diaphragm (206), wherein the valve diaphragm (206) is located on a side of the valve core (203) facing the valve body (201), and the valve diaphragm (206) is connected to the valve core (203) by means of a connecting rod (2061) and covers the air vents (2031); said connecting rod (2061) being connected to the valve core (203) passing through a through hole (2035) provided in the third connecting portion (2034).
  18. The air valve of claim 17, characterized in that the valve seat (202) has an outer diameter of 40 mm to 120 mm, the valve body (201) has an outer diameter of 30 mm to 110 mm, the valve diaphragm (206) has an outer diameter of 18 mm to 108 mm, and the valve core (203) has an outer diameter of 20 mm to 100 mm and/or the valve core (203) has an inner diameter of 16 mm to 96 mm, the valve core (203) has a thickness of greater than 3 mm, and the valve diaphragm (206) has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 10 mm.
  19. The air valve of claim 1, characterized in that a force for turning the valve core (203) to rotate relative to the valve seat (202) is less than 0.5 N.
  20. An air valve assembly, characterized by comprising: an air valve (200) of any one of claims 1-19; and a connector (300) having a second channel (302) for a fluid to pass through, the fluid channel (205) being in communication with the second channel (302), one end of the connector (300) being connected to the valve seat (202), and the other end thereof being configured for connection to an external apparatus.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to the field of air passage devices, and in particular to an air valve, an air valve assembly, and an inflatable product. Background Art In the market there are already several existing products including inflatable mattresses and air valves applied to the inflatable mattresses. With the improvement of people's requirements for quality of life, people have increasing demands for inflatable products, in particular inflatable mattresses and inflatable sponge mattresses. The existing products present some problems and drawbacks that should be overcome to improve the quality, the usability and performance of such inflatable products. An important part of an inflatable product is its air valve. Although the existing air valve can seal the inflatable product and can be connected to an air pump for inflating the inflatable product, the air valve may have poor sealing performance. In order to prevent a user from having to replenish the inflatable product with air multiple times during use, an air valve with good sealing performance, which is applied to an inflatable mattress (for example, a TPU inflatable sponge mattress, i.e., an inflatable mattress made of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material), has emerged accordingly. Furthermore, other drawbacks of the known inflatable product, always related to their air valves, occur when the inflatable product is deflated: air usually doesn't exit easily and flows back into the inflatable product, resulting in the difficulty to completely discharge the air from inside the inflatable mattress. As a result, the user needs a large space to store the inflatable product when this product is not used. Summary The present invention aims to solve the problem of poor sealing performance of existing air valves. The present invention provides an air valve, an air valve assembly, and an inflatable product, which can stabilize a sealing effect. In order to solve the above-described technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an air valve, including: a valve body;a valve seat connected to the valve body to form a fluid channel;a first sealing member arranged between the valve body and the valve seat; anda valve core including air vents in communication with the fluid channel, the valve core being rotatably arranged in the fluid channel relative to the valve seat and being surrounded by the first sealing member, so as to switch the valve core between a first position and a second position,where in the first position, the valve core is in contact with an inner wall of the fluid channel, and the first sealing member is in contact with the valve core and seals the valve core against the inner wall of the fluid channel; andin the second position, the valve core is spaced apart from the inner wall of the fluid channel, and the first sealing member surrounds the valve core and is spaced apart from the valve core. With the above technical solution, the valve body is connected to the valve seat to form the fluid channel, and the valve core includes the air vents and is in communication with the fluid channel, such that in the first position, the valve core is in contact with the inner wall of the fluid channel, the air vents are in communication with the fluid channel to allow an outside fluid to flow in the fluid channel, and the first sealing member also seals a gap between the valve core and the inner wall of the fluid channel, preventing the fluid from flowing into or out of the gap between the valve core and the inner wall of the fluid channel, and thus ensuring a sealing effect. Moreover, the first sealing member surrounds the valve core and is located between the valve body and the valve seat, which can stabilize the first sealing member, thereby preventing the first sealing member from falling off, which would otherwise cause sealing failure and affect a flow track of the fluid. In the second position, the valve core is spaced apart from the inner wall of the fluid channel, and the first sealing member surrounds the valve core and is spaced apart from the valve core. In this case, the fluid channel is not blocked by the valve core so that the fluid channel opens and is in a maximum fluid-flow state, facilitating the inflow or outflow of the fluid and enabling the rapid inflow and outflow of the fluid. During switching of the valve core from the first position to the second position, a user may rotate the valve core to change the size of an opening of the fluid channel, thus adjusting an inflation/deflation speed. At least one rib is provided on a side of the first sealing member facing the valve core, and the at least one rib is spaced apart in a circumferential direction. In the first position, the at least one rib abuts against the valve core; and in the second position, the at least one rib surrounds the valve core and is spaced apart from the valve core. With the above technical solution, in the first position