DE20108961U1 - Dispensing and metering valve for fluid media, especially for hot water - Google Patents

Description

Stenger, Watzke'&iKIning:"::!!' :": ••Kaiser Friedrich Ring ?o

PATENT ATTORNEYS —

'i I l ' l ! ,'D-40547 DÜSSELDORF

DIPL.-ING. WOLFRAM WATZKE (-1999)

DIPL.-ING. HEINZ J. RING

DIPL.-ING. ULRICH CHRISTOPHERSEN

DIPL.-ING. MICHAEL RAUSCH

DIPL.-ING. WOLFGANG BRINGMANN

Metallwerke Otto Dingerkus GmbH &egr;&Idigr;&Igr;&ogr;&Tgr;&agr;&Ggr;&rgr;^&egr;&ngr;&tgr; attorneys

On the shield

57439 Attendorn Our number 01-0456

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Dispensing and dosing valve for fluid media, especially for hot water

The invention relates to a dispensing and dosing valve for fluid media with a valve housing, a fluid channel formed in the valve housing, a supply connection connected to the fluid channel for supplying a fluid medium, an outlet opening arranged at an end of the fluid channel opposite the supply connection in terms of flow, a valve element for selectively opening and closing the outlet opening, a handle arranged on the valve housing for holding the dispensing and dosing valve and an actuating element for actuating the valve element.

Such a dispensing and dosing valve is known in the state of the art, for example, as a so-called "water-saving gun". This is used for the metered dispensing of a quantity of water, for example for filling containers or for spraying or splashing objects to be cleaned. Such water-saving guns have been state of the art for over thirty years and are offered on the market by various manufacturers. The known water-saving guns have a housing made of metal, often brass, in which a fluid channel is formed for guiding the water or another fluid. Part of the housing is designed as a handle-like handle, through which the fluid channel also extends. A valve element on an outlet opening is actuated by an actuating element, which in the case of water-saving guns takes the form of a trigger guard. The actuating element, designed as a trigger guard, is located on the handle-like

Telephone (0211)5721.31:'* .·* · · · BrJF-BaKk, DüifiMorf* ·(B^Z£θθ20500) 40113276 Fax (0211)588225 Staat-S^arkaiSe/EXissddorf <B*LZ· &00 50110) 10090769

The handle is opposite the handle and can be operated comfortably from the hand resting on the handle. At the free end of the handle there is a supply connection through which a fluid medium, usually water, is fed to the water-saving gun. The outlet opening is located in an area of the valve housing that runs perpendicular to the handle, in close proximity to the actuating element. The handle and the rest of the housing of several of the well-known water-saving guns are provided with covering elements, such as rubber covers, to make them easier to handle. On the one hand, these serve to make handling safer by preventing slipping off the handle, and on the other hand they cushion impacts on the valve housing and thus prevent damage to the valve housing.

The water-saving pistols known from the state of the art have proven themselves in their field of application, but they are limited in the variety of possible uses. For example, the known water-saving pistols can only dose and dispense cold to medium-warm water; the known water-saving pistols are unsuitable for dispensing water at high temperatures close to the boiling point.

Based on this state of the art, the present invention is based on the object of further developing a dispensing and dosing valve of the type mentioned at the beginning so that it can be used in a wider variety of ways and thus more flexibly. In particular, the dispensing and dosing valve should be able to be used for fluid media of different temperatures.

To solve this problem, the invention proposes that at least one insulating element for thermal insulation is arranged at least on the handle.

Due to the inventive arrangement of at least one insulating element on the handle, the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention can also be operated with fluids at high temperatures. The handle is thermally insulated from the valve housing by the insulating element arranged according to the invention, heating of the handle to high temperatures can be avoided. A user of the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention can

This can be gripped and operated without additional thermal insulation measures on the handle.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the arrangement of the at least one insulating element insulates against temperatures of the fluid medium up to 80° C, preferably up to 95° C.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the at least one insulating element provided according to the invention can be a plastic element. The thermal insulation of the handle is preferably formed by two plastic half-shells arranged around the handle. Instead of an insulating element formed from plastic half-shells, a tubular slip-on element can alternatively be used as insulation. Particularly good insulation can be achieved if the insulating element does not touch the handle over its entire surface, but only rests on the handle at certain points, for example by means of ribs or similar spacers. To increase the grip security and to fix the insulating elements, the handle can also have a covering, preferably a rubber coating. On the one hand, such a covering offers better grip strength, for which it can be provided with grip-improving structures, for example ribs or knobs. On the other hand, the covering can be colored for decorative or informative purposes.

A compact design of the dispensing and dosing valve is achieved if, as proposed in an advantageous development of the invention, the fluid channel extends through the handle of the dispensing and dosing valve, with the supply connection being arranged on the handle. The at least one insulation element arranged on the handle according to the invention thermally insulates the outside of the handle from a hot fluid even when the fluid is guided in this way. The handle can still be safely gripped without further protective measures, even if a hot fluid medium is flowing inside the fluid channel formed in the handle. When the fluid is guided through the handle, the insulation element can also be designed as a plastic tube which carries the fluid inside it. However,

With such a construction, less good thermal insulation is achieved than with an insulating element placed on a separate pipe.

In order to further increase the operational reliability of the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention, it is proposed according to a further advantageous development of the invention that the actuating element also has insulation. In dispensing and dosing valves of the generic type, both the valve housing and the actuating element are usually made of metal. Since the metals used generally have good thermal conductivity, the use of a hot, fluid medium also leads to a corresponding heating of the actuating element, which is arranged movably on the housing via suitable connections. In order to protect a user of the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention from impairments caused by a hot actuating element, this element can also be insulated. This can be formed, for example, by a thermally insulating protective coating made of a material that conducts heat poorly, such as plastic or rubber.

The dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention is given additional safety by the fact that, according to an advantageous development of the invention, a protective element is provided to prevent the actuating element from being actuated inadvertently. This prevents the actuating element from being actuated inadvertently and accidentally and prevents hot fluid medium from escaping from the valve in an uncontrolled manner. The protective element provided according to this development can, for example, be formed by a protective bracket that shields the actuating element. Such a protective bracket prevents, for example, the actuating element from being triggered by the valve according to the invention falling down.

Another potential source of danger for a user of a valve of this type is the fact that in known dispensing and metering valves the fluid medium exits the valve housing close to the handle or the actuating element. When using hot fluid medium, there is a risk of scalding if the escaping medium is in contact with the handle due to the proximity of the outlet from the valve housing.

the user of the valve. In order to exclude this danger, according to an advantageous development of the invention, the valve housing has a tubular extension through which the fluid channel extends to an outlet opening located at the free end of the extension. With the tubular extension provided according to the invention, the valve housing becomes longer in a direction away from the handle and the actuating element and the outlet opening is relocated so that it no longer represents a danger to the user of the valve. In order to prevent the user from scalding or burning on the tubular extension when using a hot fluid medium, according to a further advantageous development of the invention, the tubular extension is surrounded by an insulating scalding protection. This is in turn made of a material with poor heat conduction properties, for example plastic or rubber.

In order to improve the handling of the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention, a handle element can be arranged on the tubular extension, as provided in an advantageous development of the invention. This handle element provides an additional option for holding the valve during use; it is grasped with the user's hand that is not resting on the handle. Care must be taken that the handle element is thermally insulated from the tubular extension on the one hand, and that it is sufficiently far away from the outlet opening formed at the free end of the tubular extension on the other hand, in order to avoid the user being scalded by escaping hot fluid. In order to give the user as much freedom as possible when holding the valve according to the invention, the additional handle element can be arranged pivotably on the tubular extension. The handle element can preferably be freely pivoted by 360° around the axis of the tubular extension. The handle element can advantageously be lockable in one or more positions, most preferably in any position.

In order to be able to dispense the fluid to be dispensed with the dispensing and metering valve according to the invention in a metered and finely distributed manner, it is advantageous if, as provided according to a further advantageous development, the valve on the outlet

opening has a nozzle. In order to ensure that the fluid medium is dispensed quickly, it is advantageous if the valve element for closing the outlet opening is arranged directly on the nozzle. In this way, the fluid to be dispensed is present in the fluid channel up to the valve element and from there, when the valve element is actuated, exits directly through the nozzle from the outlet opening. In order to be able to adapt the jet characteristics of the fluid medium dispensed with the dispensing and metering valve according to the invention, the valve has, according to an advantageous development of the invention, an adjusting device for adjusting the nozzle characteristics. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the valve element is arranged on a connecting rod which is axially mounted in at least two positions for secure guidance. In order to ensure that the dispensing and metering valve according to the invention is closed securely when it is at rest, according to a further advantageous development of the invention, a closing element is arranged which preloads the valve element in the direction of the closed position under a closing force. The valve element can be moved from the closed position to an open position by means of the actuating element against the force of the closing element. The closing element can be designed, for example, as a compression spring in the form of a helical spring.

Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments based on the accompanying figures.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention in a sectional side view,

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a dispensing device according to the invention.

and dosing valve in a view corresponding to Figure 1 with the fastening of the protective bracket for the actuating element differing from the first embodiment and

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a dispensing and metering valve according to the invention in a view corresponding to Figure 2 with

handle element different from the embodiment shown in Figure 2.

In the figures, identical elements are provided with identical reference symbols.

Figure 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a dispensing and dosing valve 1 according to the invention in a sectional side view. The dispensing and dosing valve 1 shown is essentially made up of two main components. These are the main body 10 and a tubular extension 20, also called a jet pipe, which is connected to the main body 10. A handle 11 is arranged on the main body 10. The main body 10 has a housing section 12 which is connected to housing sections 13 and 22 of the handle 11 and the tubular extension 20. The aforementioned housing sections 12, 13 and 22 together form the valve housing. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the entire valve housing, i.e. the housing sections 12, 13 and 22, is made of a metal, preferably brass. A fluid channel 2 is formed inside the housing sections and extends through the handle 11, the main body 10 and the tubular extension 20. The fluid channel 2 connects a supply connection 14 formed on the handle 11 with an outlet opening 21 at the free end of the tubular extension 20.

The outlet opening 21 can be closed by a valve element 23. The valve element 23 can be opened or closed by means of an actuating element 15, which is arranged in the area of the handle 11 on the main body 10. For this purpose, the valve element 23 is connected to the actuating element 15 via a connecting rod 24. The actuating element 15 acts on the connecting rod 24 in order to open or close the valve element 23. The connecting rod 24 is mounted in an axially guided manner at two points. A first axial bearing 25 is located near the outlet opening 21 in the tubular extension 25, a second axial bearing 16 is formed in the main body 10. In the area of this bearing 16, suitable sealing means, for example an O-ring seal, are arranged to prevent the fluid medium from escaping at this point. A compression spring 26 is arranged between the bearing 25 and a shoulder formed on the valve element 23 around the connecting rod 24.

arranged and exerts a force on the valve element 23 in the direction of the closed position. In the normal case, the valve element 23 is therefore in its closed position and closes the outlet opening 21. The connecting rod 24 can be adjusted and thus the opening characteristics of the valve body 23 can be adjusted using an adjusting screw 27 arranged at an end of the main body 10 opposite the outlet opening 21. In order to prevent the connecting rod 24 from turning when the adjusting screw 27 is adjusted, the connecting rod has an axial guide groove (not shown) into which a guide pin (not shown) arranged on the housing engages. This prevents the connecting rod 24 from twisting and enables the opening characteristics of the valve element to be set precisely. The jet of the escaping fluid can thus be selected as a point or as a wide jet. Furthermore, the adjustment path of the adjusting screw 27 is limited so that the valve body does not lift off the valve seat when the actuating element 15 is not actuated and fluid does not escape.

In order to make the dispensing and dosing valve 1 shown suitable for use with hot, fluid media, insulating elements 17 are arranged on the handle 11 surrounding the housing section 13. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this is an insulating bushing made of plastic which is placed around the housing section 13 made of metal. This can be formed, for example, from segments such as two half shells. In order to reduce thermal contact between the insulating element 17 and the housing section 13, the insulating element 17 has ribs 171 resting on the housing section 13 of the handle 11. Between the ribs 171, the insulating element does not rest on the housing section 13, and the air gap formed there provides further thermal insulation. These insulating elements ensure thermal decoupling of the outside of the handle 11 from the hot fluid flowing in the fluid channel 2. A sheath 18 is placed over the insulating elements 17. This preferably consists of a rubber material and serves on the one hand to improve the grip of the handle 11 and on the other hand to allow for a colored design. The casing 18 is fixed around a circumferential bead 19 of the housing section 12 of the main body 10.

Furthermore, an insulation 110 is arranged on the actuating element 15. This insulation also serves to protect a user of the dispensing and dosing valve 1 by insulating the heating of the actuating element 15 due to the influence of a hot, fluid medium located in the fluid channel 2 and thus protecting the user of the valve from burns. A safety bracket 111 is attached to the handle 11 on the one hand and to the housing 12 of the main body 10 on the other hand and protects the actuating element 15 from unintentional actuation. In this exemplary embodiment, the safety bracket 111 is connected to the housing section 12 of the main body 10 by means of a screw 112. In order to prevent the safety bracket 111 from twisting, a locking pin 115 is arranged on the handle 11, which engages in a locking opening of the safety bracket 111.

The main body 10 is enclosed in a casing 113. The casing 113 is made of a material with poor thermal conductivity, for example plastic or rubber, and serves on the one hand as contact protection to prevent a user from burning or scalding, and on the other hand it fulfills design aspects in that it can be colored. Another aspect of the casing 113 is the impact protection provided by this casing.

The tubular extension 20 is also surrounded by a two-part casing 28. This casing 28 is also made of a material with low thermal conductivity, for example plastic or rubber, and it also serves as protection against burns or scalding for a user when using the valve with a hot fluid. A handle element 29 is arranged on the tubular extension approximately halfway along the length of the latter. The handle element 29 can be freely pivoted by 360° around the longitudinal axis of the tubular extension 20 and can be fixed in any position. For this purpose, a sliding ring 210 is placed on the tubular extension 20, which is surrounded by an annular sliding piece 211 arranged on the handle element 29. The annular sliding piece 211 can slide freely on the sliding ring 210 in the circumferential direction, which ensures free pivoting by 360°.

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Finally, a nozzle element 212 is arranged in the outlet opening 21, which cooperates with a nozzle insert 213 inserted into the outlet opening 21 to expand the emerging fluid jet or to spray or atomize an emerging liquid jet. The nozzle insert 213 is additionally secured in the outlet opening 21 by a bead-shaped wrap 281 of the casing 28 in addition to a fastening known per se.

Due to the insulation elements 17 arranged on the handle, the insulation 110 of the actuating element 15, the relocation of the outlet opening 21 by arranging the tubular extension 20 and the insulating casings 113 and 28 of the main body 10 or the tubular extension 20, the dispensing and dosing valve according to the invention is also suitable for dispensing fluids at high temperatures, in the case of the exemplary embodiment up to 95 ^° C. The dispensing and dosing valve shown is also suitable for operation at a pressure of up to a maximum of 25 bar. The handle element 29 additionally arranged on the tubular extension 20 makes it easier to handle the valve 1 and offers a high degree of flexibility due to its ability to pivot through 360 °.

The embodiment of a dispensing and dosing valve 1 shown in Figure 2 is essentially the same as the embodiment described above. Only the fastening of the protective bracket 111 to the main body 10 is solved differently in this embodiment. Instead of fastening the protective bracket 111 to the housing section 12 of the main body 10 by means of a screw 112 and a locking pin 115, the protective bracket 111 in this embodiment is deflected in a section 114 and fastened to the connection point between the main body 10 and the tubular extension 20. For this purpose, the section 114 of the protective bracket 111 can be clamped between the housing section 22 of the tubular extension 20 and the housing section 12 of the main body 10; it can also be welded, soldered or connected in some other way to one or both of the elements mentioned.

Since the structure and function of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 is otherwise identical to the embodiment shown in Figure 1,

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a more detailed description, instead reference is made to the description of Figure 1.

Finally, Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of a dispensing and dosing valve 1. The embodiment shown in this figure is essentially the same as the embodiment shown in Figure 2, whereby here a handle element 291 which differs from the handle element shown in this figure is arranged on the tubular extension 20. Instead of the sliding ring 210 placed on the tubular extension, on which a sliding piece 211 of the handle element 29 shown there slides, in this embodiment a sliding sleeve 221 is arranged directly on the handle element 291 and can be freely pivoted by 360° around the longitudinal axis of the tubular extension 20. The handle element 291, like the handle element 29 of the previous embodiments, is designed to be lockable in any position. For thermal insulation, a casing 292 made of a thermally insulating material is formed on the handle element 291. This also serves to protect a user of the dispensing and dosing valve 1 from burns caused by contact with hot components of the valve 1. However, since the handle element 291 does not heat up excessively when using hot, fluid media, the casing 292 can be omitted when using hot fluids with comparatively moderate temperatures without endangering a user. In addition to thermal insulation, the casing 292 also improves the neck when gripping the handle element. Another difference from the embodiment shown in Figure 2 for the dispensing and dosing valve 1 shown in Figure 3 is the structure of the insulating element 17. The insulating element shown in this figure does not have any ribs 171, but only rests in its two outer areas on shoulders formed on the housing section 13. In the remaining area, an insulating air gap remains between the insulating element 17 and the housing section 12.

The embodiments shown are purely illustrative and should not be understood as limiting.

List of reference symbols

1 dispensing and dosing valve

2 Fluid channel

10 Main body

11 Handle

12 Housing section

13 Housing section

14 Feed connection

15 Actuator

16 Storage

17 Insulating element

18 Wrapping

19 bead

110 Insulation

111 Safety bar

112 Screw

113 Wrapping

114 Section

115 Locking pin 171 Rib

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20 tubular extension

21 Outlet opening

22 Housing section

23 Valve element

24 Connecting rod

25 Storage

26 Compression spring

27 Adjusting screw

28 Wrapping

29 Handle element

210 sliding ring

211 Slider

212 Nozzle element

213 Nozzle insert 221 Sliding sleeve

281 bead-shaped wrapping

291 Handle element

292 Wrapping

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·

Claims (21)

1. Dispensing and metering valve for fluid media with a valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ), a fluid channel ( 2 ) formed in the valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ), a supply connection ( 14 ) connected to the fluid channel ( 2 ) for supplying a fluid medium, an outlet opening ( 21 ) arranged at an end of the fluid channel ( 2 ) which is opposite the supply connection ( 14 ) in terms of flow, a valve element ( 23 ) for selectively opening and closing the outlet opening ( 21 ), a handle ( 11 ) arranged on the valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ) for holding the dispensing and metering valve ( 1 ) and an actuating element ( 15 ) for actuating the valve element ( 23 ), characterized in that at least on the Handle ( 11 ) is arranged with at least one insulating element ( 17 ) for thermal insulation. 2. Dispensing and dosing valve according to claim 1, characterized by at least one insulating element ( 17 ) which enables use of the dispensing and dosing valve with fluid media at temperatures of up to 80°C, preferably up to 95°C. 3. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating element ( 17 ) is structured on a side facing the handle so that a contact area between the insulating element and the handle is kept small. 4. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by insulating elements made of plastic. 5. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two insulating elements ( 17 ) designed as half-shells are arranged on the handle ( 11 ), which completely surround the handle ( 11 ). 6. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle ( 11 ) has a casing ( 18 ) in addition to the at least one insulating element ( 17 ). 7. Dispensing and dosing valve according to claim 6, characterized by a covering ( 18 ) made of rubber. 8. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid channel ( 2 ) extends through the handle ( 11 ) and that the supply connection ( 14 ) is arranged on the handle ( 11 ). 9. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating element ( 15 ) has an insulation ( 110 ). 10. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a protective element ( 111 ) for preventing unintentional actuation of the actuating element ( 15 ). 11. Dispensing and dosing valve according to claim 10, characterized by a protective bracket arranged in the region of the actuating element ( 15 ) as a protective element ( 111 ). 12. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a tubular extension ( 20 ) which carries the outlet opening ( 21 ) at its free end and through which the fluid channel ( 2 ) extends. 13. Dispensing and metering valve according to claim 12, characterized by an insulating sheath ( 28 ) surrounding the tubular extension. 14. Dispensing and dosing valve part according to claim 13, characterized in that a nozzle insert ( 213 ) is arranged in the outlet opening ( 21 ), which is protected against unintentional release by a bead-shaped wrap ( 281 ) of the casing ( 28 ). 15. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a nozzle element ( 212 ) is arranged in the region of the outlet opening ( 21 ). 16. Dispensing and dosing valve according to claim 15, characterized in that the valve element ( 23 ) is arranged directly on the outlet opening ( 21 ) provided with the nozzle element ( 212 ). 17. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of claims 15 or 16, characterized in that the nozzle element ( 212 ) is adjustable for adjusting the jet characteristics of the fluid emerging from the outlet opening ( 21 ). 18. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve element ( 23 ) is arranged on a connecting rod ( 24 ) on which the actuating element ( 15 ) engages and which is mounted in axial bearings ( 16 , 25 ) in at least two different sections. 19. Dispensing and dosing valve part according to claim 17, characterized in that the connecting rod ( 24 ) extends through the valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ) on a side opposite the valve element ( 23 ), an adjusting screw ( 27 ) for adjusting the jet characteristics of the emerging fluid being arranged on an end of the connecting rod ( 24 ) protruding from the valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ), and that in order to guide the connecting rod ( 24 ) in a rotationally secure manner, a guide groove extending in the axial direction is formed in the latter, into which a guide pin fixedly arranged on the valve housing ( 12 , 13 , 22 ) engages. 20. Dispensing and dosing valve according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a closing element ( 26 ) acting on the valve element ( 23 ), which holds the valve element ( 23 ) in the closed position when the actuating element ( 15 ) is not actuated. 21. Dispensing and dosing valve according to claim 20, characterized by a compression spring as closing element ( 26 ) which prestresses the valve element ( 23 ) in the closed position.