Snap-fitted Pneumatic Selector Valve Having A Tubular Conduit For Fluid Flow Switching

Abstract

A pneumatic selector switch having a body member provided with a pneumatic source port and a plurality of actuator ports spaced from the source port and from each other. A movable valve member is carried by the body member for selectively interconnecting the source port to a selected actuator port depending upon the position of the valve member relative to the body member. The valve member includes a tubular conduit bent in substantially a U-shape with one of the opposed open ends thereof always in alignment with the source port and the other open end alignable with any one of the selected actuator ports.

Description

This invention relates to an improved pneumatic selector switch.

It is well known that pneumatic selector switches have been provided in the past wherein a pneumatic source is adapted to be interconnected to any one of a plurality of ports that lead to pneumatically operated devices, such as pneumatically operated actuators or the like.

It is a feature of this invention to provide such a pneumatic selector switch having improved parts that facilitate the assembly thereof as well as provide an economy in the fabrication thereof.

In particular, one embodiment of this invention provides a cup-shaped body member having the closed end wall thereof interrupted by a central source port and a plurality of actuator ports disposed circumferentially about the source port. A valve member is rotatably mounted in the body member and has an end extending out of the open end of the body member to provide a manual means for grasping the valve member and rotating the same relative to the body member. The valve member includes a conduit means bent into a substantially U-shape so that one open end thereof is always alignable with the source port and the other end thereof will transcribe the circle defined by the actuator ports whereby upon proper positioning of the valve means relative to the body member, the source port will be interconnected to a selected actuator port. Detent means are provided to indicate and hold the valve means in a selected operating position thereof. The valve member and body member are so constructed and arranged that the same can be snap fitted together without auxiliary fastening means with the snap fitting means itself providing for the rotational movement therebetween.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved pneumatic selector switch having one or more of the novel features set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from a reading of this description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the improved pneumatic selector switch of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4--4.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of the selector switch of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the selector switch of FIG. 1.

While the various features of this invention are hereinafter described and illustrated as being a four-position, five-branch, manually operated pneumatic selector valve or switch, it is to be understood that the various features of this invention can be utilized singly or in any combination thereof to provide other types of selector switches as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized to illustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved pneumatic selector switch or valve of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a substantially cup-shaped body member 11 provided with a substantially flat closed end wall 12 and an opposed open end 13 defined at the upper end of a substantially cylindrical sidewall means 14 thereof, the open end 13 terminating at an outwardly directed flange means 15 that surrounds the open end 13 thereof to provide not only a means for mounting the switch 10 in a control panel or the like, but also to carry suitable position indicating means such as positions "1," "2," "3" and "4" as illustrated in FIG. 2. However, the body member 11 can be made from molded plastic material of a transparent type so that a separate information-carrying sheet can be disposed against the underside 16 of the flange means 15 to viewable through the same at the top side 17 thereof with the body member 11 having a position locating extension 18 for properly positioning such sheet means against the underside 16 thereof.

A movable valve member 19 is rotatably mounted in the body member 11 in a manner hereinafter described and is also substantially cup-shaped with a closed flat end wall 20 and an opposed open end 22 at the upper end of a cylindrical portion 23 thereof.

The substantially cylindrical sidewall 23 of the valve member 19 is formed at the upper open end 22 thereof to define a substantially frustoconical grasping portion 24 being ribbed as illustrated in FIG. 1 to facilitate grasping thereof, if desired, and having its lower end 25 completely spanning the open end 13 of the body member 11 while being slightly spaced above the top surface 17 of the flange means 15 of the body member 11. A circular plate 26 is adapted to be received in annular recess 27 formed at the upper end 28 of the frustoconical grasping portion 24 so as to close off the open end 22 of the valve member 19, the plate 26 being provided with a pointer 26' printed thereon as illustrated in FIG. 6 to cooperate with the information on flange 15.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cylindrical sidewall 14 of the body member 11 is provided with an annular recess 29 in the internal surface 30 thereof which is adapted to snap fittingly receive an outwardly directed annular tongue 31 formed on the exterior surface 32 of the sidewall means 23 of the valve member 19 so as to hold the same together in the telescoped relation illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 while permitting rotational movement therebetween as the annular tongue 31 will ride in the groove 29 as the valve member 19 is turned relative to the body member 11.

The internal surface 30 of the sidewall means 14 of the body member 11 is also provided with four recesses 33 therein of substantially semicircular transverse cross-sectional configuration and each being adapted to respectively mate with a detent ball 34 carried in a diametric opening means 35 passing through bosslike projections 36 in the cup-shaped valve member 19 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The opposed detent balls 34 are urged radially outwardly of the opening means 35 of the valve member 19 by a compression spring 37 disposed within the opening means 35 between the detent balls 34.

In this manner, when the valve member 19 is rotated relative to the body member 11, the opposed balls 34 are adapted to be cammed inwardly to permit rotational movement therebetween and will snap outwardly into opposed grooves 33 in the body member 11 when aligned therewith so as to indicate a selected position and hold the same in such selected rotational position until the valve member 19 is manually moved therefrom.

The closed end wall 12 of the body member 11 is provided with a central port 38 that interrupts the inside flat surface 39 thereof and is interconnected to a passage means 40 extending through an outwardly directed nipple means 41 extending from the outside surface 42 of the end wall 12. A plurality of other ports 43 also interrupt the surface 39 and respectively are interconnected to passage means 44 passing through outwardly directed nipples 45, the other ports 43 being circularly arranged about the central port 38. In this manner, the central port 38 can be interconnected to a pneumatic source, such as a pressure source or a vacuum source such as by being coupled thereto by a flexible conduit being telescoped over the nipple means 41, if desired, whereas the other ports 43 can be respectively coupled to various pneumatically operated actuators or the like in a similar manner. Thus, the port 38 will be hereinafter called a "source port" and the ports 43 will hereby be hereinafter called "actuator ports," but it is to be understood that the ports 38 and 43 could have other uses and this invention is not to be limited to such use.

A plurality of resilient O-ring sealing members 46 are respectively disposed in the ports 38 and 43 to not only bear against the body member 11 outboard of the respective passages 40 and 44 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, but also to project above the inside surface 39 of the end wall 12 so as to seal against the bottom surface 47 of the valve member 19 when the same is assembled to the body member 11 in the snap fit relation illustrated in FIG. 3.

The surface 47 of the end wall 20 of the valve member 19 is interrupted by a port 48 that is coaxial with the source port 38 and is disposed inboard of the sealing member 46 thereof so as to always be in fluid communication with the port 38 regardless of the rotational position of the valve member 19 relative to the body member 11. The surface 47 is also interrupted by another port 49 which is alignable with any one of the actuator ports 43 inboard of the sealing member 46 thereof as the port 49 will transcribe the circle defined by the actuator ports 43 when the valve member 19 is rotated relative to the body member 11.

In order to fluidly interconnect the port 48 of the valve member 19 with the port 49 thereof, a conduit means 50 is provided and has its opposed open ends 51 and 52 respectively secured in openings 53 and 54 interrupting the inside surface 55 of the end wall 20 of the valve member 19 and being respectively alignable and in fluid communication with the ports 48 and 49 whereby the conduit means 50 provides fluid transfer means from the central port 48 to the other port 49.

If desired, the opposed ends 51 and 52 of a flexible conduit 50 can be press fitted into the openings 53 and 54 of the valve member 19 as the flexibility of the conduit means 50 will render the same self-sealing therein, particularly when the switching means 10 is being utilized with a vacuum source. However, it is to be understood that the opposed ends 51 and 52 of a flexible or rigid conduit means could be adhesively bonded in place in the openings 53 and 54, if desired.

Therefore, it can be seen that switching means 10 of this invention can be formed from a plurality of relatively inexpensive parts that are adapted to be assembled together to provide a pneumatic switching function in a simple and economical manner.

In particular, when the various parts of this invention have been assembled in the manner previously described to form the switching device 10, it can be seen that the central nipple 41 can be interconnected by a flexible conduit to a pneumatic source and the other nipples 45 can be interconnected respectively to pneumatically operated actuators by flexible conduits so that the operator or the like can manually switch the pneumatic source to any one of the pneumatically operated devices respectively interconnected to the actuator ports 43.

Since the grooves 33 of the body member 11 are respectively located adjacent the actuator ports 43, the ball detent means 34 will locate the valve member 19 and hold the same in aligned relation with a selected actuator port 43 so that the conduit means 50 will transfer the pneumatic source from the port 38 to the port 43 having been selected by the operator in a continuous manner until the valve member 19 is rotated from that particular position. Because of the snap fit relation between the two cup-shaped members 11 and 19, the opposed surfaces 29 and 47 of the end walls 12 and 20 thereof are respectively sealed at the ports 38, 43, 48 and 49 thereof by the O-ring sealing means 46 so that the only transfer of fluid between the members 11 and 19 takes place when the conduit means 50 has been aligned with one of the actuator ports 43 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Therefore, it can be seen that this invention provides an improved pneumatic selector switch or valve means, as well as improved parts therefor or the like.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been described as required by the statutes, other forms may be used all of which fall within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A pneumatic selector switch comprising a cup-shaped body member having a pneumatic source port and a plurality of actuator ports spaced from said source port and from each other, said cup-shaped body member defining an open end thereof and a closed end thereof that is interrupted by said ports, a cup-shaped movable valve member disposed within the open end of said body member and being snap-fitted thereto for selectively interconnecting said source port to a selected actuator port, said valve member comprising a tubular conduit means having opposed open ends respectively fluidly interconnected to the closed end of said cup-shaped valve member, one of said open ends always being in alignment with said source port and the other open end being alignable with a selected actuator port, and a plurality of annular sealing members disposed between said closed ends of said body member and said valve member and being respectively disposed about said ports, said sealing members being compressed between said closed ends by the snap fit relation between said body member and said valve member whereby said ports are sealed from each other between said closed ends.

2. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the open end of said valve member comprises a manual manipulator to be grasped and manually moved relative to said body member for said port selectivity.

3. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 2 wherein said open end of said valve member that comprises said manual manipulator projects out of said open end of said body member.

4. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 3 wherein said body member and said valve member respectively have means snap fitting the same together to provide said snap fit relation.

5. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means of said body and valve members permits rotational movements between said members.

6. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means of said body member comprises an annular groove means therein and wherein said means of said valve member comprises an outwardly directed annular flange snap fittingly received in said groove means.

7. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 3 wherein said valve member is rotatable in said cup-shaped body member, said body and valve members having detent means for indicating and holding said valve member in a selected position thereof where said valve member in interconnecting said source port to a selected actuator port.

8. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 7 wherein said detent means comprises a plurality of grooves in said body member corresponding respectively to said actuator ports, and spring biased ball means carried by said valve member alignable with said at least one of said grooves in each selected position of said valve member relative to said body member.

9. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 8 wherein said spring biased ball means of said valve member comprises an opening passing diametrically through said valve member, a compression spring disposed in said opening of said valve member and having opposed ends, and a ball at each end of said spring being urged outwardly by said spring into engagement with said body member.

10. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve member is rotatable in said body member about an axis of rotation, said source port being coaxial with said axis and its respective open end of said conduit means being coaxial with said axis.

11. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 10 wherein said actuator ports are radially disposed from said source port.

12. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 11 wherein said actuator ports define a circle about said source port, said conduit means being substantially U-shaped with the other open end thereof being positioned to transcribe said circle.

13. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve member is rotatable relative to said body member about an axis of rotation, said body member having said source port coaxial with said axis, the open end of said conduit means for said source port also being coaxial with said axis.

14. A pneumatic selector switch as set forth in claim 13 wherein said actuator ports define a circle about said source port, said conduit means being substantially U-shaped with the other open end thereof being positioned to transcribe said circle.