JP-2026514527-A - Low flow pressure check valve

Abstract

The check valve (106) includes a valve body (200) formed of an elastic material, the valve body having an inlet side (210) and an outlet side (212). The valve body includes a rim (202) that forms the outer circumference of the valve body and a hinge portion (204) having an annular groove formed radially inward of the rim and adjacent to the rim, on the inlet side of the valve body. The valve body also includes a plurality of lips (208) formed at the center of the valve body by one or more slits extending radially outward from the center of the valve body toward the hinge. The hinge portion is coplanar with the plurality of lips when in the closed position.

Inventors

• ポール ヘイズ－パンクハースト

Assignees

• ピーエスジー ジャーマニー ゲーエムベーハー

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20240426

Priority Date

20230428

Claims (20)

1. A check valve comprising a valve body formed from an elastic material, the valve body having an inlet side and an outlet side, The edge portion forming the outer circumference of the valve body, A hinge portion having an annular groove formed on the inlet side of the valve body, adjacent to the edge and radially inward of the edge, A check valve comprising a plurality of lips formed at the center of the valve body by one or more slits extending radially outward from the center of the valve body toward the hinge, wherein the hinge portion is coplanar with the plurality of lips when in the closed position.
2. A check valve according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the surface extending from the center to the hinge, including the hinge, is flat on the outlet side of the valve body.
3. A check valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the annular groove has a triangular, square, pentagonal, or hexagonal shape.
4. A check valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the hinge portion is smaller than the thickness of the plurality of lips.
5. A check valve according to claim 4, characterized in that the annular groove defines the hinge points of the plurality of lips, which are offset from the vertical center of the valve body toward the outlet side of the valve body.
6. A check valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the check pressure of the check valve is determined by the offset distance between the hinge points of the plurality of lips and the midpoint of the thickness of the plurality of lips.
7. A check valve according to claim 6, characterized in that the offset distance is determined by the depth of the annular groove.
8. A check valve according to claim 1, further comprising an annular seal bead protruding from the inlet-side edge of the valve body.
9. A check valve according to claim 1, further, The plurality of lips are provided with an open position that allows fluid to pass from the inlet side to the outlet side, by swinging outward from the valve body. A check valve characterized in that the pressure required to maintain the check valve in the open position is less than the check pressure of the check valve.
10. A distribution system, wherein the distribution system is Reservoir and, A pump having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is fluidly coupled to the reservoir, A valve fluidly coupled to the outlet of the pump, wherein the valve is A valve body formed from an elastic material, wherein the valve body has an inlet side and an outlet side, The edge portion forming the outer circumference of the valve body, A hinge portion having an annular groove formed on the inlet side of the valve body, adjacent to the edge and radially inward of the edge, The valve body comprises a plurality of lips formed at the center of the valve body by one or more slits extending radially outward from the center of the valve body toward the hinge, A distribution system comprising: a valve, the valve having an extension at least from the center to the hinge, the surface including the hinge being flat on the outlet side of the valve body.
11. A distribution system according to claim 10, further comprising a ring defining a central opening within the ring, wherein the ring is connected to the outlet of the pump, and the edge of the valve is held between the ring and the outlet of the pump.
12. A distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the valve provides a check pressure for forward flow, and the check pressure is greater than the hydrostatic pressure from the fluid in the reservoir when the reservoir is full.
13. A distribution system according to claim 10, characterized in that the pump provides sufficient pressure to open the valve.
14. A distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the valve is The edges of the plurality of lips are on the same plane as the valve body, and there is a closed position that prevents fluid communication through the valve, The plurality of lips are swung outward from the valve body, and an open position is provided which allows fluid communication from the inlet side to the outlet side. A distribution system characterized in that the edges of the plurality of lips on the inlet side of the valve body are compressed when transitioning from the closed position to the open position.
15. A distribution system according to claim 14, characterized in that the valve is configured to move from the open position to the closed position in response to negative pressure on the inlet side.
16. A distribution system according to claim 15, characterized in that when the valve moves from the open position to the closed position, air is not mixed into the reservoir.
17. A distribution system according to claim 10, characterized in that the valve and the pump are integrated with the reservoir as single-use items.
18. A distribution system according to claim 10, characterized in that the reverse check pressure of the valve is determined by the inner diameter of the outlet of the pump.
19. The system according to claim 10, further, A distribution system characterized by comprising a backing washer having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet of the pump, wherein the backing washer is positioned between the outlet of the pump and the inlet side of the valve body, and the reverse check pressure of the valve is determined by the inner diameter of the backing washer.
20. A method for distributing a fluid, wherein the method is Opening the valve by providing fluid pressure to the inlet side of the valve, wherein the fluid pressure is greater than the check pressure of the valve, Distributing the fluid through the valve, A method characterized by including closing the valve by providing negative pressure to the inlet side of the valve.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18/140,952, filed on 28 April 2023. The disclosure of the prior application is considered to be part of the disclosure of this application and is incorporated into the disclosure of this application by reference. Technical Field This application relates to the distribution of fluids. Background: A fluid distribution system may include a fluid source and a valve that controls the fluid flow. For example, a fluid reservoir may be located above the valve, in which case the valve may be a check valve, providing a restraint against pressure from the reservoir head. Alternatively, the reservoir may be located below the valve, and the valve provides a restraint against negative pressure. A wide range of fluids exist with different thermophysical and transport properties that can be distributed through such a system. In such systems, various valve shapes can be used, each producing undesirable effects. For example, a duckbill valve does not provide check pressure against the forward flow pressure. There is no force acting on the lip of the duckbill valve to keep them in contact with each other, leading to the possibility of solidified fluid accumulation outside the valve lip. In the case of umbrella valves and mushroom valves, the output flow is radial to the supply tube, which requires redirecting the flow to the user's container. Such a flow redirection element downstream of the valve has the potential to accumulate fluid that can solidify. As another example, a cruciform valve uses a disc of relatively thick elastic material, and a cross-cut made by a knife creates four valve lips extending radially from the axis that bend and open under flow pressure. However, such a valve cannot have both low high flow pressure and high opening check pressure. A dome valve is similar to a cruciform valve but has a domed central portion with cross-cuts to form the valve lips. However, the valve does not work well with low viscosity fluids because the dome inversion is not always perfectly symmetrical, which results in the fluid jet being ejected radially from the valve lips both when the valve opens and again when the valve closes. A further problem with dome valves is that if the amount of reverse flow is not precisely controlled, air can be drawn through the valve in a reverse flow state while the valve is closed. This is often undesirable because the intrusion of air through the valve can cause bacterial contamination of the air and oxidation of the fluid. This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary fluid distribution system.This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary fluid distribution system.This figure shows an exemplary valve for distributing fluid in the closed position.This figure shows an exemplary valve for distributing fluid in the closed position.This figure shows an exemplary valve for distributing fluid in the open position.This figure shows an exemplary valve for distributing fluid in the open position.This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary valve installed in a fluid distribution system.This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary valve installed in a fluid distribution system using an alternative installation configuration.This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary valve installed in a fluid distribution system using an alternative installation configuration.This figure shows exemplary and modified versions of the valve in Figure 1, including different lip configurations.This figure shows exemplary modified versions of the valve in Figure 1, including different annular groove shapes.This figure shows exemplary modified versions of the valve in Figure 1, including different annular groove shapes.This figure shows exemplary modified versions of the valve in Figure 1, including different annular groove shapes.This figure shows exemplary modified versions of the valve in Figure 1, including different annular groove shapes.This figure shows an exemplary modified version of the valve in Figure 1, including a lip with increased thickness.This figure shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of distributing fluid using one of the exemplary valves disclosed herein. Similar reference symbols in various drawings indicate the same element. Detailed Description Figures 1A and 1B show an exemplary system 100 for distributing fluid. The system includes a fluid reservoir 102, a pump 104, and a valve 106. The fluid distribution system can be used to distribute fluid into separate containers. For example, a fluid distribution system may be used in a supermarket, where consumers can transfer fluid products (e.g., condiments, beverages, soap, laundry detergent, etc.) from larger bulk containers into smaller containers. The system can be oriented in any direction. For example, the fluid reservoir 102 may be positioned above, below, or to the side of the valve 106. The valve 106 may provide a check pressure