JPS6159424B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a valve that is installed in a fuel supply pipe to a gas combustion appliance and can reliably shut off the fuel gas by a simple means in an emergency.

With the recent evolution of technology, city gas and propane gas have become widely used as fuel, and naturally they are piped to supply them, and even in ordinary homes, they are distributed to various combustion appliances, and the fuel used is Gas has a higher calorie than conventional fuel gas, so in the event of an abnormal situation such as an earthquake, it is necessary to automatically extinguish the combustion part to prevent a fire from occurring. Therefore, in recent years, emergency gas shutoff devices have been developed in the event of an earthquake or the like in the middle of piping to equipment that uses gas fuel, and various studies have been conducted on disaster prevention measures, and the techniques thereof have been disclosed. However, since it is a preventive device, the overall structure is complicated and expensive because it is intended to be activated in an emergency and can reliably achieve the purpose, and it is not only for general household use. However, there are various problems in handling it when used as such.

Furthermore, in these emergency gas shutoff devices that have entered the practical stage, the mechanism that performs the shutoff operation is subject to restrictions such as installation conditions, which often causes inconvenience in handling, and furthermore, it is difficult to check the operating function of the device. There are many obstacles to generalization, such as the difficulty of easily confirming.

In view of this situation, the present invention aims to eliminate structural complexity, provide a truly practical product that operates reliably with an extremely simple configuration, and is inexpensive and can be widely used for general household use.

That is, the present invention provides a gas cutoff device that is installed in a hydrocarbon fuel gas pipe and activated by a command signal from an appropriate location inside or outside in an emergency, which has a closed structure and a gas inlet pipe and an outlet pipe that can be opened and closed. a casing equipped with a lid body, a valve element housed within the casing and removably connected to the gas outlet so as to be operated to close the valve by magnetic force; It consists of a valve seat provided in the pipe section and a shutoff valve unit equipped with a locking mechanism that separates and locks the valve element from the valve seat.The shutoff valve unit is fixed in the casing, and the valve stem is non-magnetic. The valve is supported by inserting a drilled hole through the center of a fixed permanent magnet piece attached to a frame formed by the valve body, and the valve is closed by the attraction force between the permanent magnet piece attached to the valve stem and the fixed permanent magnet piece. , a locking mechanism that normally locks in engagement with the valve stem end of the valve that closes the valve due to the magnetic force is kept airtight from within the casing and is electrically connected to an external command signal transmitter, The valve is constructed so that the valve can be closed by operating the locking lever in response to a command signal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The casing 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a specific example of the present invention, in which the casing 1 has a box-like shape with an open upper part, and has a casing 1 in the center of both end surfaces 1' and 1'' in the longitudinal direction, and A gas inlet pipe 2 and a gas outlet pipe 3 on the other side.
, respectively, and a lid plate 5 is fixed with screws 6 through a gasket 4 to the upper open part to form a closed box. The base end tube 3'' of the gas outlet tube 3 is inserted into a hole 1a formed on one end surface of the casing 1 using an integrally provided mounting flange 3', and is airtightly fixed via a gasket 4'. Both the gas inlet pipe 2 and the gas outlet pipe 3 have outer peripheries so that a rubber hose (not shown) can be securely fitted thereinto.

The shutoff valve unit 10, which is housed and fixed in the casing 1, has an external dimension that fits inside the casing 1, as shown in FIG. A short connecting pipe 12 is integrally fixed to the central part of the bent upright surface 11' of the frame 11 which is bent into a letter shape, and a valve seat 13 is provided at the inner end of the frame 11 of the connecting pipe 12. ,
The inner periphery of the outer protruding portion of the pipe 12 is coated with an adhesive sealant 14 having an appropriate thickness to facilitate fitting and connection, such as an adhesive substance that dries slowly in air, such as silicone grease or a sealant for gas piping. A fixed magnet piece 15, which becomes a permanent magnet, has a valve rod insertion support hole 15' bored in the center at an intermediate position in the frame 11, and the center of the support hole 15' is aligned with the center of the connecting pipe 12. They are fixed to the frame 11 so that they almost match. And the support hole 15' of the fixed magnet piece 15
A valve stem 16' is inserted and supported, and a valve element 16 provided at the tip thereof is arranged so as to face the valve seat 13.
A locking head 18 is formed at the rear end of this valve stem 16',
In addition, a valve operating piece 17 formed of a permanent magnet is fixed with adhesive at a position slightly closer to the locking head 18 in the middle part of the valve stem 16', and a valve operating piece 17 formed of a permanent magnet is fixed to the upper surface end of the lower plate 11'' of the frame body 11. An electromagnetically actuated locking mechanism 20 is fixed therein.This locking mechanism 20 includes a microelectromagnet 22 mounted on a substrate 21 as shown in FIG.
, a claw piece 24 whose main body is pivotally supported at the upper end of an upright column 23 adjacent thereto, and a base plate 21 and the rear end of the claw piece to lift the tip locking claw 24' of the claw piece 24 upward. It consists of a pull spring 25 connecting the claw pieces 24
A suction piece 26 made of a magnetic material is attached to the lower surface of the tip of the casing 1, and the electromagnet 22 has a lead wire 27 to transmit a command signal outside the casing 1. Normally, the locking pawl 24' is lifted by the force of the tension spring 25, and the flange of the locking head 18 at the rear end of the valve stem 16' is connected as shown in the figure. The locking pawl 24' engages with the valve 18' so that the valve element 16 is held in the most retracted state relative to the valve seat 13. In this state, the valve operating piece 17 fixed to the valve stem 16' and the fixed magnet piece 15 are related to each other so that they are located in a mutually attractive magnetic field, and the attracting force is applied to the locking claw of the locking mechanism 20. 24' and valve stem 1
It is designed to be held apart by engagement with the locking head 18 of 6'. The valve stem 16' and the valve element 16 are made of a non-magnetic material, such as stainless steel.

In this manner, the cutoff valve unit 10 has a large amount of adhesive 19 adhered to the lower surface of the lower plate 11'' of the frame 11, and the connecting pipe 12 is connected to the base end pipe of the gas outlet pipe 3 as shown in FIG. 3'' and are closely connected to each other by an adhesive sealant 14, and the lower frame plate 1
The casing 1 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the casing 1 with adhesive 19 attached at 1", and the casing 1 is closed and sealed with the lid 5 to be assembled integrally. The lead wire 27 of the locking mechanism 20 is pre-drilled in the casing 1. The small hole is exposed to the outside through a small hole, and this small hole is hermetically sealed with an adhesive, a sealant, or the like.

In use, the device of the present invention configured as described above is connected to the gas inlet pipe 2 with a gas hose near the main valve at the supply part of the gas piping to the gas appliance, and the gas outlet pipe 3 is connected to one end of the hose to the gas appliance. The lead wire 27 is connected to and attached to a device (not shown) that detects and transmits an emergency, and is preferably arranged so that the casing 1 is in a horizontal state.

To explain the operating state, for example, if an earthquake is detected by a detector and a command signal to notify an emergency situation is sent as a current to the electromagnet 22 of the locking mechanism 20 for a short time, the coil of the electromagnet 22 is energized. The suction piece 26 is attracted, and the tip of the claw piece 24 descends against the force of the tension spring 25 acting on the rear end, and the locking claw 2
4' is disengaged from the locking head 18, so that the valve operating valve 17 is instantaneously attracted to the fixed magnet piece 15 by the attraction within the magnetic field of the magnet piece 15 fixed to the frame 11. , the valve element 16 contacts the valve seat 13 to close the valve. At this time, as shown in FIG.
The fixed magnet piece 15 remains in contact with the valve seat 13.
Since an appropriate gap is created between the valve element 16 and the valve operating piece 17, a strong pressing contact force is applied to the valve element 16 and the valve seat 13 via the valve stem 16' due to the attraction action of both magnetic bodies. This allows the valve closing function to operate more effectively. Therefore, by connecting it to a gas leak alarm or an earthquake vibration detector, for example, it will be possible to prevent disasters caused by gas leaks not only when gas is in use in a general household, but also when it is not in use. You will be able to do so. If the surface of the valve element 16 is coated with a viscous substance such as silicone grease, the airtight effect will not be canceled even if it is subjected to external vibrations after the valve has closed. ,
It is possible to safely maintain the shutoff state.

In order to restore this shutoff valve device to a state in which it can supply gas after normality is restored, remove the hose on the gas outlet side, push a suitable straight rod into the casing 1 from the opening side of the gas outlet pipe 3, By pushing the valve element 16 with this straight rod end and retracting the valve rod 16' against the magnetic attraction force, the locking head 18 is moved to the front of the locking claw 24' at the tip of the claw piece 24 of the locking mechanism 20. By moving the claw piece 24 to the retreating position over the slope, the claw piece 24 swings on the pivot portion, and the locking claw 24' and the locking head 1
8 are engaged with each other, the valve element 16 is held in its original state, and by connecting the hose to the gas outlet pipe 3 again, it is possible to return to the gas supply state.

In addition, in the device of the present invention, the valve stem to which the valve element of the shutoff valve is attached is supported by a hole drilled in the center of a magnet piece fixed to the frame, so there are restrictions on the direction of attachment. Since it is possible to check that the shutoff valve unit 10, which is the main part, performs the valve closing operation by itself in response to an electrical command signal from the outside, this main part was tested immediately before assembly. Since it can be housed and fixed in the rear casing and supplied, the work during production is easy and a highly reliable product can be obtained.The simplified configuration not only improves the effectiveness of the function but also reduces the product cost. This made it easier to make household gas safety devices more reliable, cheaper, and more widespread.

In accordance with the spirit of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the gas outlet pipe may be integrated with the casing, and the valve may have a hemispherical shape, a conical shape, a spherical shape, or other shapes. It is possible to make arbitrary changes, such as using a locking mechanism that is actuated by an electric signal and capable of locking and resetting. Further, depending on the operation of the device, a lamp may be used to indicate whether the device is open or closed from the outside, and a means such as an alarm bell or the like may be provided to indicate the shut-off state.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an embodiment of the gas cutoff device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the cutoff valve unit, and Fig. 4 shows the valve opening locking mechanism of the valve. The figure shown in FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the valve closed state. 1...Casing, 2...Gas inlet pipe, 3...
Gas outlet pipe, 3″... Proximal tube, 5... Lid, 10
...Shutoff valve unit, 11...Frame, 12...Connecting pipe, 13...Valve seat, 14...Sealant, 15...
...Fixed magnet piece, 15'... Support hole, 16... Valve element, 16'... Valve stem, 17... Valve operating piece, 18
... Locking head, 19 ... Adhesive, 20 ... Locking mechanism, 22 ... Electromagnet, 24 ... Claw piece, 24' ...
Locking claw, 25... tension spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A gas cutoff device that is installed in a hydrocarbon fuel gas piping and activated by a command signal from an appropriate location inside or outside in an emergency, a casing that has a gas inlet pipe and an outlet pipe and a lid that can be opened and closed. and a valve seat is provided at the inner end of a pipe section which is housed in the casing and connects to the inner end of the gas outlet pipe in a removable and airtight manner, and the valve seat is closed by magnetic force in opposition to the valve seat. A shutoff valve unit consisting of a valve element that operates the valve, a locking mechanism that separates and holds the valve element from the valve seat, and a frame that holds and fixes the valve element within the casing,
The valve stem of the shutoff valve is supported by being inserted into a central perforation hole of a fixed permanent magnet piece attached to a frame made of a non-magnetic material, and an attractive force is generated between the permanent magnet fixed to the valve stem side and the permanent magnet piece. The locking claw of the locking mechanism, which engages with the rear end of the valve stem and holds it in a normal state, is configured to be released by an external electric signal and close by magnetic force. Emergency gas cutoff device.