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US 11,112,015 B2Granted
Fluid valve assembly including seal having retention features
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsThomas Chapman, George Popovici, Lesley Wang, Adarsh Venkiteswaran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid valve includes a valve body and a plug. The body includes a chamber and ports that communicate with the chamber. The plug is rotatably disposed in the chamber, and includes a seal disposed in an annular groove provided on the plug surface. An elastic member is disposed in the groove, and biases the seal against an inner surface of the chamber. The seal includes a seal retaining feature that is configured to retain the seal within the groove.
Claims18
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the valve chamber, and
- a plug assembly including a valve plug, that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis, the valve plug including:
- a hollow, tubular protrusion that protrudes from the plug in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, an inner surface of the tubular protrusion defining a portion of a fluid path;
- a sleeve that surrounds the tubular protrusion and is spaced apart from the tubular protrusion, a space between tubular protrusion and the sleeve defining an annular groove that surrounds the tubular protrusion, the groove having a groove inner wall that is shared with the tubular protrusion and a groove outer wall that is shared with the sleeve;
- and
- an annular seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the groove outer wall, and
- a seal retaining structure that is configured to engage with a corresponding retaining structure provided on the plug assembly so as to retain the seal within the groove, wherein
- the sleeve includes the corresponding retaining structure, which is a through opening,
- the seal retaining structure is a latch that protrudes outward from the seat outer surface, and
- the latch extends into the through opening of the sleeve, and engagement between the latch and the through opening retains the seal within the second groove.
12 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the valve plug chamber, and
- a plug assembly including a value plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis the valve plug including:
- a hollow, tubular protrusion that protrudes from the plug in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, an inner surface of the tubular protrusion defining a portion of a fluid path:
- a sleeve that surrounds the tubular protrusion and is spaced apart from the tubular protrusion, a space between tubular protrusion and the sleeve defining an annular groove that surrounds the tubular protrusion, the groove having a groove inner wall that is shared with the tubular protrusion and a groove outer wail that is shared with the sleeve;
- and
- an annular seat that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces tile groove outer wall, and
- a seal retaining structure that is configured to engage with a corresponding retaining structure provided on the plug assembly so as to retain the seal within the groove, wherein
- an end of the sleeve includes a cut out,
- the seal includes a key that protrudes outward from the seal outer surface, and
- the key is disposed in the cut out, and engagement between the key and the cut out locates the seal with respect to the plug and properly orients the seal with respect to the plug.
12 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the valve plug chamber, and
- a plug assembly including a valve plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis the valve plug including;
- a hollow, tubular protrusion that protrudes front the plug in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, an inner surface of the tubular protrusion defining a portion of a fluid path;
- a sleeve that surrounds the tubular protrusion and is spaced apart from the tubular protrusion, a space between tubular protrusion and the sleeve defining an annular groove that surrounds the tubular protrusion, the groove having a groove inner wall that is shared with the tubular protrusion and a groove outer wall that is shared with the sleeve;
- and
- an annular seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the groove outer wall, and
- a seal retaining structure that is configured to engage with a corresponding retaining structure provided on the plug assembly so as to retain the seal within the groove one of the groove inner wall and the groove outer wall includes an annular cut out,
- the plug assembly includes an annular retention ring that is disposed in the cut out and protrudes relative to the one of the groove inner wall and the groove outer wall, the annular retention ring providing the corresponding retaining structure, and
- the seal retaining structure is an annular circumferential bead that is engaged by the annular retention ring, whereby the seal is retained in the groove.
11 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports each valve port communicating with the valve plug chamber, and
- a plug assembly including a valve plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis the valve plug including:
- a hollow, tubular protrusion that protrudes from the plug in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, an inner surface of the tubular protrusion defining a portion of a fluid path;
- a sleeve that surrounds the tubular protrusion and is spaced apart from the tubular protrusion, a surface between tubular protrusion and the sleeve defining an annular groove that surrounds the tubular protrusion, the groove having a groove inner wall that is shared with the tubular protrusion and a groove outer wall that is shared with the sleeve;
- and
- an annular seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove timer wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the groove outer wall, and
- a seal retaining structure that is configured to engage with a corresponding retaining structure provided on the plug assembly so as to retain the seal within the groove, wherein
- the groove inner wall includes a first annular cut out,
- the groove outer wall includes a second annular cut out,
- the plug assembly includes a first annular retention ring that is disposed in the first cut out in such a way that the first annular retention ring protrudes relative to the groove inner wall,
- the plug assembly includes a second annular retention ring that is disposed in the second cut out in such a way that the second annular retention ring protrudes relative to the groove outer wall,
- the first and second annular retention rings provide the corresponding retaining structure, and
- the seal retaining structure comprises an inner annular circumferential bead that is engaged by the first annular retention ring, and an outer annular circumferential bead that is engaged by the second annular retention ring, whereby the seal is retained in the groove.
15 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the value plug chamber, and
- a valve plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis, the valve plug including:
- a groove that opens facing a surface of the valve plug chamber, the groove including an inner wall, an outer wall that faces the inner wall, and a first retaining structure that is provided on one of the inner wall and the outer wall,
- a seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the move outer wall, and
- a second retaining structure that is provided on one of the seal inner surface and the seal outer surface,
- wherein the first retaining structure engages with the second retaining structure in such a way as to retain the seal within the groove, and
- the first retaining structure comprises through opening, and the second retaining structure comprises a protruding latch.
9 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including;
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the valve plug chamber, and
- a valve plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis, the valve plug including:
- a groove that opens facing a surface of the valve plug chamber, the groove including an inner wall, an outer wall that faces the inner wall, and a first retaining structure that is provided on one of the inner wall and the outer wall,
- a seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the groove outer wall, and
- a second retaining structure that is provided on one of the seal inner surface and the seal outer surface,
- wherein the first retaining structure engages with the second retaining structure in such a way as to retain the seal within the groove,
- the first retaining structure includes an annular cut out, and an annular retention ring that is disposed in the cut out that protrudes relative to the one of the groove inner wall and the groove outer wall, and
- the second retaining structure is an annular circumferential bead that protrudes from a surface of the seal and that is engaged by the annular retention ring, whereby the seat is retained in the groove.
10 more elements
A fluid valve comprising:
- a valve body including:
- a valve plug chamber;
- and
- valve ports, each valve port communicating with the valve plug chamber, and
- a valve plug that is disposed in the valve plug chamber and is rotatable relative to the valve body about a rotational axis, the valve plug including:
- a groove that opens facing a surface of the valve plug chamber, the groove including an inner wall, an outer wall that faces the inner wall, and a first retaining structure that is provided on one of the inner wall and the outer wall,
- a seal that is disposed in the groove, the seal including
- a seal inner surface that faces the groove inner wall,
- a seal outer surface that faces the groove outer wall, and
- a second retaining structure that is provided on one of the seal inner surface and the seal outer surface,
- wherein the first retaining structure engages with the second retaining structure in such a way as to retain the seal within the groove,
- the first retaining structure includes
- a first annular cut out provided in the groove inner wall,
- a second annular cut out provided in the groove outer wall,
- a first annular retention ring that is disposed in the first cut out in such a way that the first annular retention ring protrudes relative to the groove inner wall, and
- a second annular retention ring that is disposed in the second cut out in such a way that the second annular retention ring protrudes relative to the groove outer wall, and
- the second retaining structure includes
- an inner annular circumferential bead that is engaged by the first annular retention ring, and
- an outer annular circumferential bead that is engaged by the second annular retention ring, whereby the seal is retained in the groove.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.