Automatic Gas Intake Valve with Floating Ball Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic gas intake and exhaust valve devices have complex structures that complicate manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance, and are not suitable for large diameters, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A simple automatic gas intake and exhaust valve device with a main body having an orifice hole and an intake/exhaust hole, an opening/closing member that floats based on fluid flow velocity, and a coupling member that securely attaches to a pipe, allowing for easy assembly and maintenance, and featuring a spherical opening/closing member with specific gravity between 1.0 and 9.0 times that of the fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a ball floating by fluid and support structure is used to open/close air exhaust hole, then the valve can control air flow, but the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the support structure from the traditional ball-valve design. The valve body itself is designed with an inclined inner surface that directly guides the ball's movement, removing the need for separate support components while maintaining the ball's ability to control air flow effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the support function into the valve body structure. The inclined inner surface of the valve body serves dual purposes: it guides the ball's movement and provides structural support, combining what were previously separate functions into a single integrated component.
2Reliability
If a complex structure with support elements is used, then air exhaust function is achieved, but manufacturing and assembly become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the support structure, the patent significantly simplifies the manufacturing process. The valve body can now be produced as a single piece with integrated flow paths, reducing the number of parts that need to be manufactured, assembled, and quality-checked.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the valve into minimal essential components: the valve body with integrated flow channels and the ball. This segmentation eliminates unnecessary intermediate components and simplifies the assembly process while maintaining functional integrity.
3Reliability
If traditional ball-valve structure is used, then air exhaust is possible, but repair and maintenance work is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the valve into easily separable components (valve body and ball) that can be quickly removed and inspected. The simplified structure allows maintenance personnel to access and replace the ball without disassembling complex support structures, significantly easing repair and maintenance operations.
4Reliability
If traditional valve structure is used, then air exhaust function is achieved, but large diameter valve manufacturing is not suitable
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the support function into the valve body's inclined inner surface, the patent creates a scalable design that can be manufactured in various sizes including large diameters. The integrated structure eliminates the need for proportionally larger support components, making the design adaptable to different scale requirements.
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 device is easier to manufacture and maintain, reduces clogging risks due to its large diameter intake/exhaust holes, and improves productivity while preventing air lock issues in fluid flow systems.
Implementation Method 1
an opening/closing member (130) movably inserted into a main body part (110) in a non-constrained state to open/close an intake and exhaust hole (115)... A specific gravity of the opening/closing member (130) is 1.0 to 9.0 times greater than a specific gravity of the fluid
Implementation Method 2
drops down to a bottom of the main body part by a weight of the opening/closing member (130) to open the intake and exhaust hole (115) if a level of the fluid introduced into the main body part is lowered
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is an automatic gas intake and exhaust valve device including a main body part having an orifice hole at one side and an intake and exhaust hole at an opposite side, an opening/closing member movably inserted into the main body part to open/close the intake and exhaust hole, and a coupling member extending along one side of the main body part to couple the main body part with a pipe in the communication state of the pipe. The opening/closing member floats according to a flow velocity of a fluid introduced into the main body part and discharged out of the main body part, to close the intake and exhaust hole, and drops down to the bottom of the main body part by a weight of the opening/closing member to open the intake and exhaust hole if a fluid level is lowered, thereby automatically introduce and exhaust internal air of the pipe and facilities.