Breathing Regulator Valve With Venturi Outlet and Single-Piece Body

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional breathing regulators have complex valve designs with numerous parts, leading to maintenance challenges, tolerance issues, and reduced reliability, which affect their performance and durability.

Innovation Solution

A single-piece valve design incorporating a spring-mounted piston and a valve outlet contour that utilizes the Venturi effect to generate negative pressure, featuring a partial tapering and widening of the flow cross-section, allowing for easy maintenance, reduced component gaps, and improved interaction with other regulator components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional valve design with numerous individual parts is used, then the valve can be assembled from standard components, but the maintenance becomes time-consuming and reliability decreases due to tolerance chains

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve reliabilityVSAvoidvalve structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The valve body and valve outlet contour are merged into a single integrated component manufactured as one piece, eliminating the need for separate parts and their associated seals and connections. This reduces the number of components from multiple individual parts to a single monolithic structure, directly improving reliability by eliminating tolerance accumulation and connection points.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single-piece valve structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as both the valve body housing and the flow-controlling outlet contour, eliminating the need for separate components for each function and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of repair

If a valve with numerous individual parts is used, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but maintenance time increases and component gaps create dirt accumulation points

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve maintenance easeVSAvoidmaintenance time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By combining the valve body and outlet contour into a single removable unit, the patent enables the entire valve assembly to be quickly removed and replaced as one component, dramatically reducing maintenance time compared to disassembling and cleaning multiple individual parts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The entire single-piece valve is designed as a removable module that can be extracted from the breathing regulator as one unit for maintenance or replacement, simplifying the repair process by taking out the entire functional assembly rather than working with multiple small components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If multiple separate components are used for the valve, then assembly and disassembly are possible, but the valve becomes more susceptible to damage and requires readjustment after assembly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve robustnessVSAvoidvalve manufacturing simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The valve body and outlet contour are merged into a single piece that cannot be damaged at connection points, eliminating seals and joints that are potential failure points. This single robust structure requires no readjustment after assembly since there are no separate components to misalign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Manufacturing precision

If a complex multi-part valve design is used, then component availability is improved, but pneumatic fluctuations increase and flow profile consistency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflow profile precisionVSAvoidvalve component quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single-piece construction ensures that the outlet contour is seamlessly integrated with the valve body, eliminating gaps and misalignments between components that could cause pneumatic fluctuations. This guarantees consistent flow profile precision throughout the valve's operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 single-piece design enhances reliability, reduces maintenance time, and ensures consistent flow profiles, providing robust performance under extreme conditions while minimizing pneumatic fluctuations and turbulence.

Implementation Method 1

by means of a partial tapering and a subsequent partial widening of a flow cross-section in the region of the valve opening, a negative pressure can be generated in the region of the valve outlet contour by utilizing the Venturi effect

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVenturi effect: Venturi Effect

Data Source

PatentUS20250339713A1Valve for a breathing regulator
Publication Date: 2025.11.06 DRAGER SAFETY AG & CO KAAA
  • US20250339713A1 patent drawing
  • US20250339713A1 patent drawing
  • US20250339713A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A valve for a breathing regulator, having a valve chamber in which there is arranged a spring-mounted piston which closes a downstream valve opening of the valve chamber when the valve is in a closed position is disclosed. A fluidic connection between the valve chamber and an external gas source can be established via an injection connector that has an injection opening. The valve furthermore has a valve outlet contour which is formed downstream in the region of the valve opening.