The present invention relates to a cock or valve comprising a handle for rotating the plug of the cock or the valve body by means of a stem, and wherein a gear transmission is provided between the handle and the stem, one part of the gear transmission being constituted by an internal and centrally in the handle secured gear wheel, and wherein the handle is formed as a part of a housing which together with a housing element, which is non-ro- tatably connected with the housing of the valve or cock, form a cavity wherein the gear transmission is arranged. A cock or valve of the kind referred to above is disclosed and explained in the same applicant's prior Danish patent application filed 30th March 1978, sub application No. 1417/78,with the title:"Valve or cock com¬ prising a gear wheel transmission", the documents of said application were made available to the public on the 30th September 1979. According to the valve or cock disclosed in said application, the gear wheel transmission is con- stituted by a planet gear comprising four planet wheels arranged upon a planet wheel support, and which engage with an internal toothed rim in the housing element which is secured to the valve or cock housing. The gear wheel centrally arranged in the handle serves as sun wheel for the planet wheels and the planet wheel support is coupled to the stem of the cock plug or the valve body.

The cock or valve according to the present in¬ vention is characterized in that the handle is positioned with the central axis of the handle displaced parallel o the axis of the stem, the stem moreover being non-rotatab¬ ly connected with a gear wheel sector at the axis of the gear wheel sector, the teeth of the gear wheel sector moreover engaging with the teeth of the gear wheel of the handle. By means of this structure a very simple gear wheel transmission is achieved because for such transmission only the gear wheel of the handle and the gear wheel sector are needed and the parallel displacement of the axis of the handle with respect to the axis of the stem simul-

taneously offers a high leverage which, in connection with the fact that a high moment of force may be applied to the gear wheel of the handle due to the central posi¬ tioning thereof, results in that it is only necessary to apply a small force to the handle in order to rotate the cock plug or the valve body. Simultaneously, the gear transmission may be constructed very compact in such a way that only minimal requirements must be fulfilled in order to accomodate the gear transmission and, accordingly, the handle and the housing element may be constructed with corresponding small dimensions, whereby it is achieved that the cock or valve according to the present invention may be produced with small dimensions and may be given an appealing appearance. An embodiment of the cock or valve is according to the invention characterized in that the teeth of the gear wheel sector face inwardly towards the axis of the gear wheel sector. By means of this embodiment it is achieved that the handle obtains the same direction of ro- tation .as the stem, and accordingly also as the cock plug or valve body, whereby a high degree of security against-' false manoeuvring of the cock or valve is achieved.

A further embodiment of the cock or valve is according to the invention characterized in that the teeth of the gear wheel sector extend along an arch of a circle of approximately 90 , that the gear wheel of the handle is provided with teeth along the full circumference and that the number of teeth of the gear wheel of the handle gene¬ rally corresponds to the number of teeth of the gear wheel sector. This embodiment is of particular importance in con¬ nection with cocks or valves wherein only a rotation of 90 of the cock plug or valve body is necessary because this em¬ bodiment results in that a full rotation of the handle will correspond to a quarter of a revolution of the cock plug or the valve body.

A further embodiment of the cock or valve is according to the invention characterized in that the gear wheel sector is accomodated in a recess in the housing ele-

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ment secured to the housing of the valve or cock, the re¬ cess being enclosed by a wall shaped generally as a part of an arc of a circle and by a wall part extending gene¬ rally as a chord to the arc circle, the chord extending generally perpendicular to an imaginary line extending through the axis of the stem and the axis of rotation of the gear wheel sector, the gear wheel sector being deli¬ mited by two generally perpendicular to each other ex¬ tending edges and by two circle arc shaped edges extend- ing coaxially with the axis of the gear wheel sector and connecting the perpendicular to each other extending side edges of the sector with each other, the curvature of one of the circle arc shaped edges corresponding to the cur¬ vature of the inner surface of the circle arc shaped wall and the radius of the curvature of the other circle arc ^• shaped edge generally corresponding to the distance be¬ tween the axis of the sector and the wall part extending as a chord. By means of this embodiment a safety guiding of the gear wheel sector is achieved, and also effective end stops for the gear wheel sector is achieved due to abutment between the generally perpendicular to each other extending side edges of the sector and the wall part ex¬ tending-as a chord.

A further embodiment of the cock or valve accord- ing to the invention is characterized in that the teeth of the gear sector constitute the outer delimitation of a curved groove or a curved hole in the gear wheel sector, the groove or hole extending along an arc of a circle of generally 90 , the groove or hole being at the ends deli- mited- by two generally half circular walls and having a width which is a little greater than the diameter of the gear wheel of the handle. This embodiment also offers an effective guiding of the sector because the sector will be guided with respect to the gear wheel of the handle by means of the curved groove or the curved hole and the ends of such groove or hole may form end stops for the gear wheel sector.

A still further embodiment of the cock or valve

according to the invention is characterized in that the non-rotatable connection between the gear wheel sector and the stem consists of an edged pin secured to the sec¬ tor and engaging a correspondingly shaped hole in the stem. Such coupling is simple and reliable and may easily be provided by a simple insertion of the pin into the hole.

A still further embodiment of the cock or valve according to the invention is characterized in that the housing element non-rotatably connected with the cock or valve housing constitutes a separate housing element which by means of snap action is connected with the cock or valve housing. By means of this embodiment it is achieved that such housing element with gear transmission and handle easily may be mounted upon existing valves orcocks. In cases' where the cock or valve housing has hexagonal cross section, the surface of the housing element facing away from the handle may according to a still further embodiment of the cock or valve according to the invention have a shape which is complementary to three of the side surfaces of the cock or valve housing,and said side of the housing element may at its opposite side edges have towards each other facing edge portions for gripping two diametrical edges of the valve or cock housing. According to a still further embodiment of the cock or valve according to the invention the handle ap¬ propriately engages the outer surface of the housing ele¬ ment by means of a groove-bead connection provided by snap action. By means of this embodiment an easy assemb- ling of the handle and the housing element is achieved which simultaneously allows rotation thereof,and which prevents dirt and impurities from penetrating into the gear transmission.

The invention will hereinafter be further ex- plained with reference to the drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of a cock or a valve according to the invention, viz. in the form of a ball valve,

Fig. 2 shows the ball valve illustrated in Fig. 1 as seen from the right hand side of Fig. 1, wherein however an addition ,wherein a gear transmission is arranged, is shown in section ac¬ cording to line II-II, Fig. 3 shows a section according to line

III-III in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows a section according to line IV-IV in Fig. 3.

On the drawing, 1 is the housing of the ball valve illustrated. The housing consists of hexagonal mate¬ rial and is at one end provided with a nipple 2 and has at the other end internal threads for inserting the valve in a water distributing system. As it appears from Figs. 2 and 4 a spherical plug 3 is arranged in the housing 1 and has a passage 4, and accordingly it will from Figs. 2 and 4 be understood that the valve is shown in open position. The plug 2 is connected with a stem, the outer end of which projects a little with respect to the side surface of the housing 1 which faces to the left in Fig. 4, as indicated at 5. The stem is provided with an axially arranged hole having edged cross section for engagement with a corre¬ spondingly shaped tool. Furthermore, the end of the stem 5 may be provided with a groove in such a way that rota¬ tion may also be carried out by means of a screw driver. The spherical valve plug 3 is rotatable about an axis 6 shown in Fig. l,and accordingly the stem 5 extends coaxial- ly with the axis 6. The plug itself is arranged rotatably about this axis 6 inside the housing in a way known per SB , viz. between suitable sealings.

The ball valve referred to above is of a con¬ struction known per se, and accordingly does not need any further explanations here. On the housing 1 an addition is arranged which generally is designated 7. The addition consists of a housing element 8 which is non-rotatably connected with the valve housing 1, due to the fact that the side of the

housing element 8 facing towards the valve housing 1 has a shape which is complementary to one half of the shape of the housing 1, and accordingly in such a way that the housing element 8 has three surfaces 9, 10 and 11 resting against the corresponding side surfaces of the housing 1. The opposite side parts of the housing element 8 have at their ends small inwardly extending projections 14, which just grip around the corresponding edges 15 of the valve housing 1. Even though an embodiment is illustrated on the drawing, wherein the housing element 8 constitutes an addi¬ tion it should be stressed that such addition may be con¬ structed integrally with the housing 1 which furthermore .also .may have another shape than the one illustrated. On the housing element 8 a handle 17 is arranged which by means of a skirt 18 embraces a collar 19 on the housing element 8 and at the lower edge the skirt 18 en¬ gages the housing element 8 by means of a groove-bead con¬ nection 20 in suc a way that the handle 17 may be pushed inwardly upon the collar 19 in order to by snap action en¬ gage the groove-bead connection 20 in such a way that the handle 17 may rotate.

The handle 17 and the housing element 8 form a cavity 21 for accomodating a gear transmission. The gear transmission comprises a gear wheel 22 centrally secured to the inner surface of the handle 17, and which projects into the cavity 21. The gear wheel 22 engages a gear wheel sector 24 as it clearly appears from Fig. 3. The axis of rotation of the gear sector 24 is in Fig. 3 provided with reference 25, and this axis coincides with the axis of rotation 6 of the valve plug. In Fig. 3 the axis of the gear wheel 22 is provided with the reference numeral 26, and this axis extends as it appears from the above explanation coaxially with the axis ofrotation of the handle 17. From Fig. 3 it will be seen that the axis 26 of the gear wheel 22 and the axis of rotation 25 of the gear wheel sector are displaced parallel with respect to each other. At its axis of rotation 25 the gear wheel

sector 24 is provided with a pin 28, Fig. 4, secured in the sector and having the same cross section as the hole previously referred to in the end of the stem 5, and which engages with this hole. According to the embodiment here illustrated the pin 28 is angular and is partly moulded into the bottom of the gear wheel sector 2 .

According to the embodiment illustrated and as it appears from Fig. 3, the gear wheel sector 24 is acco- modated in a recess 29 in the housing element 8. The re- cess is enclosed by a circle arc shaped wall 30 and a wall portion 31 which extends as a chord to the circle arc shaped wall 30, and which extends perpendicular to the connecting line between the axes 26 and 25. The gear wheel sector is delimited by two rectilinear edge parts 32 and 33 extending perpendicular to each other, and these edge parts are mutually connected by means of circle arc formed edge parts 34 and 35. The curvature of the circle arc shaped edge part 34 corresponds to the curvature of the inner surface of the wall part 30 and the radius of curvature of the arc shaped edge part 35 corresponds to the distance between the wall part 31 and the axis 25.

A curved hole or groove 36 is provided in the gear wheel sector 24 and serves to accomodate the gear wheel 22 of the handle 17. The curved groove or hole ex- tends along a length of arc of approximately 90° and is at the ends terminated by half circular walls, the diame¬ ters of which are a little greater than the diameter of the gear wheel 22. The outer side of the curved groove or hole is provided with an internal toothing 37 with which the gear wheel 22 engages. It will be understood that the teeth 37 are arranged along a circular arc of approximately 90 ,and it will be understood that a rota¬ tion of the gear wheel 22 clockwise in Fig. 3 one revolu¬ tion will result in a pivoting of the gear wheel sector 24 of 90 which exactly corresponds to a movement of the valve plug 3 from open position to closed position. Due to the fact that the teeth 37 face inwardly towards the axis of rotation 25 of the gear wheel sector, the handle

17 and the valve plug 3 will obtain one and the same di¬ rection of rotation. In order to mark the position of the passage 4 with respect to the valve housing 1, the housing element 8 is provided with an arrow 40 as it appears from Fig. 1, and the skirt 18 is along the lower edge provided with a graduation 41,upon which the position of the axis of the passage 3 may be read..

As it appears from Fig. 3, the edge part 32 of the sector 24 abuts against the wall part 31 in the open position illustrated in said figure. Moreover, it will be understood that after a rotation of the sector 24 of 90 , the other edge part 33 of the sector 24 will abut against the wall part 31, hich accordingly constitutes end stops for the rotation. Furthermore, the sector 24 is securely guided with respect to the housing element 8 due to the circle arc shaped wall 30, the wall part 31 and the contour of the sector 24 explained above and consisting of the edge parts 32 and 33 and the circle arc shaped edge parts 34 and 35. According to the embodiment illustrated on the.drawing, also the half circular ends of the curved groove or hole 36 will form end stops by coope¬ ration with the gear wheel 22, and it will be understood that according to other embodiments either the one or the other form of end stops may be used. Furthermore, it will be understood that the curved groove or hole„_36 adds.,to: •_ the guiding of the sector 24, due to the fact that the widthof this groove or hole corresponds to the diameter of the gear wheel 22, of course with an appropriate clear¬ ance. According to the embodiment explained the gearing ratio between the teeth 37 and the gear wheel 22 is selected 1:4, and the gear wheel 22 is toothed along ^' the full circumference. However, nothing prevents to di¬ stribute the teeth of the gear wheel 22 along a smaller part of the circumference of the gear wheel 22, which in such case must be made greater than shown on the draw¬ ing, if a smaller gearing ratio is required.

It will be realized that even if a small moment

of force is applied to the handle 17 a great force will be applied upon the gear wheel 22 due to the diameter difference between the skirt 18 and the gear wheel 22 and such force will be transferred to the gear wheel sec- tor 24 at a comparatively great distance from the axis of rotation 25 of the sector which also has the effect that a great moment of force is applied to the spherical plug 3.

According to the embodiment illustrated on the drawing an internal toothing of the gear wheel sector 24 is used. However, the gear wheel sector 24 may be provided with an external toothing, but if this is the case the valve plug 3 will rotate opposite to the direction of rotation of the handle 17, and moreover the moment of force, which the sector 24 applies to the plug 3 ₇ will be reduced under otherwise even conditions. However, a com¬ pensation for this reduction may be achieved by designing the construction in such a way that the distance between the two axes 25 and 26 is increased.