Air Spring Pressure Holding Valve With Compact Radial Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure retaining valves for air springs require large radial installation space and are cost-intensive due to stringent accuracy and material requirements, making them inefficient and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A pressure retaining valve design with a reduced radial footprint, utilizing a second valve body with a chamber and lateral outlet openings, an actuator part with a head portion and stem portion, and a closure part that can be moved from a closed to open state without direct contact with the conduit, allowing for pre-assembly and reduced manufacturing costs through large tolerances and simplified component manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional closure part design is used that requires direct contact with the conduit, then the valve can be actuated, but the radial installation space increases and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an actuator part as an intermediary between the conduit and the closure part. The actuator part includes a head portion that contacts the conduit and a shaft portion that contacts the closure part, allowing actuation without direct contact between the conduit and closure part. This intermediary mechanism enables reliable valve actuation while reducing the radial installation space required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimensional arrangement by positioning the return part outside the access opening in the chamber, allowing it to be of any size without affecting the radial space in the access opening section. The actuator part extends through the access opening, utilizing the axial dimension rather than requiring increased radial dimension for actuation functionality.
2Reliability
If stringent accuracy requirements are imposed on sealing surfaces and fit, then valve performance is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the access opening area and relocates it to the chamber area where the closure part contacts the return part. This allows the access opening to have larger tolerances while maintaining sealing performance through the dedicated sealing interface between the closure part and return part in the chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality requirements to different parts of the valve. The access opening and actuator part can have large tolerances and be manufactured with plastics or cast alloys, while the sealing interface between the closure part and return part in the chamber maintains high precision for reliable sealing. This localized quality approach reduces overall manufacturing costs.
3Reliability
If the closure part is positioned inside the access opening, then sealing is achieved, but the radial diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the return part from inside the access opening to outside the access opening in the chamber. This dimensional relocation allows the return part to be of almost any size without affecting the radial space of the valve in the access opening section, thereby reducing the overall radial diameter while maintaining sealing effectiveness through the chamber-based sealing interface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a low-cost, efficient pressure retaining valve that reduces space requirements and manufacturing costs while maintaining operational reliability, allowing for the use of plastics or cast alloys and enabling pre-assembly and easy installation in air springs.
Implementation Method 1
a return part for providing a bias toward the access opening
Implementation Method 2
the actuator part is adapted to move the closure part out of the closed state when a force acting on the head portion against the bias, which is greater than the bias, moves the actuator part with the shaft portion out of the access opening into the chamber
Implementation Method 3
at least one flow channel extending from the head portion at least partially along the stem portion
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure retaining valve including: a first valve body for an opening of an air spring, the first valve body having an access opening; a second valve body connected to the first valve body and having a chamber fluidly communicating with the access opening and having a side outlet opening; and a return member disposed outside the access opening in the chamber for providing a bias toward the access opening; a closure part disposed in the chamber and movable from a closed condition against the bias to an open condition; and an actuator part having a head portion, a shaft section, and a flow channel, the head portion disposed outside the access opening and having a larger diameter than the access opening, wherein the stem portion is movably disposed through the access opening into the chamber, and the actuator member can move the closure member out of the closed condition.