US 12,546,404 B2Granted

Multi-passage valve

AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.

InventorYue Ma

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multi-passage valve including a housing, a valve element, and a sealing element. The valve element is rotatably disposed inside the housing around an axis, and has at least two regions on an outer side thereof. The regions are arranged in a direction of rotation of the valve element, and each extends in an axial direction of the valve element and has a plurality of connecting passages. The sealing element extends by a distance around the valve element, keeps in contact with an outer surface of the valve element, and is provided with a plurality of openings which communicate with the outside. One of the regions is capable of being covered by the sealing element by rotating the valve element to form an operating region, each of the connecting passages in the operating region being capable of connecting at least two of the openings.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A multi-passage valve, comprising:

a housing defining a housing cavity, the housing being provided with a communicating portion for connecting the housing cavity to the outside;
a valve element rotatably disposed inside the housing cavity around an axis, the valve element having at least two regions on an outer side thereof, the at least two regions being arranged in a direction of rotation of the valve element, each of the regions extending in an axial direction of the valve element and having a plurality of connecting passages;
and
a sealing element disposed at the communicating portion of the housing, the sealing element extending by a distance around the valve element and keeping in contact with an outer surface of the valve element, and the sealing element being provided with a plurality of openings communicating with the outside through the communicating portion;
wherein one of the at least two regions is capable of being covered by the sealing element by means of rotating the valve element to form an operating region, each of the plurality of connecting passages in the operating region being capable of connecting at least two of the plurality of openings;
wherein an inner surface of the sealing element has an arc length in a circumferential direction of the valve element that does not exceed one quarter of a circumference of the valve element;
and
wherein the communicating portion includes an opening in a wall of the housing in which the sealing element is disposed.

5 more elements

A multi-passage valve, comprising:

a housing defining a housing cavity, the housing being provided with a communicating portion for connecting the housing cavity to the outside;
a valve element rotatably disposed inside the housing cavity around an axis, the valve element having at least two regions on an outer side thereof, the at least two regions being arranged in a direction of rotation of the valve element, each of the regions extending in an axial direction of the valve element and having a plurality of connecting passages;
and
a sealing element disposed at the communicating portion of the housing, the sealing element extending by a distance around the valve element and keeping in contact with an outer surface of the valve element, and the sealing element being provided with a plurality of openings communicating with the outside through the communicating portion;
wherein one of the at least two regions is capable of being covered by the sealing element by means of rotating the valve element to form an operating region, each of the plurality of connecting passages in the operating region being capable of connecting at least two of the plurality of openings;
wherein the operating region is associated with an operating mode of a plurality of operating modes of the multi-passage valve;
wherein each of the plurality of connecting passages of the valve element is applied to the operating region in only one respective operating mode of the plurality of operating modes;
wherein each of the plurality of connecting passages is disposed separately from other connecting passages;
and
wherein the communicating portion includes an opening in a wall of the housing in which the sealing element is disposed.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.