Female Coupling Valve Member Dual Sealing Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing coupling members face challenges in ensuring simultaneous pressing of both outer and inner sealing members during valve closure, leading to incomplete sealing due to uneven engagement and potential leakage.

Innovation Solution

A female coupling member design featuring a cylindrical coupling body with an outer and inner valve seat, an annular valve member, and a spring for biasing the valve member, along with outer and inner annular sealing members that are elastically deformed to ensure proper sealing by engaging with the valve seats, ensuring both sealing members are pressed simultaneously for effective closure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a sealing member is disposed between the valve member and the coupling body to prevent leakage, then sealing reliability is improved, but the valve member cannot press both outer and inner sealing members simultaneously, leading to incomplete sealing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing reliabilityVSAvoidsealing engagement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing structure is segmented into two distinct sealing members: an outer sealing member disposed between the valve member outer peripheral surface and the coupling body inner peripheral surface, and an inner sealing member disposed between the valve member and the valve seat. This segmentation allows each sealing member to be pressed and engaged independently, ensuring both achieve proper sealing contact without interference from simultaneous pressing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If one sealing member is pressed earlier than the other during valve closure, then the valve member movement stops prematurely, but this prevents proper sealing of the later-pressed sealing member

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalve closure operationVSAvoidsealing effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The outer sealing member is positioned and pre-configured between the valve member outer peripheral surface and the coupling body inner peripheral surface before valve closure operation. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the valve member moves toward the closed position, the outer sealing member is already in place to be pressed and engaged first, guiding the valve member movement and ensuring subsequent inner sealing member engagement without premature stopping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 design ensures a proper sealing effect by ensuring both outer and inner annular sealing members are engaged and deformed to prevent fluid leakage, maintaining the integrity of the fluid passage even when the valve is closed.

Implementation Method 1

a spring (46) for biasing the valve member toward the closed position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

an inner annular sealing member (60) which is fixedly attached to the valve member on the radially outer side with respect to the inner valve seat portion (42) and extends radially inward beyond an annular surface (embodied as a cylindrical surface 42-1 in the embodiment), defining the valve opening (40) of the inner valve seat portion (42), and which engages with the inner valve seat portion and is elastically deformed so as to be bent, thereby being pressed against the inner valve seat portion for sealing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2085677B1Joint member of pipe joint
Publication Date: 2013.11.06 NITTO KOHKI CO LTD
  • EP2085677B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2085677B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b
  • EP2085677B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~5a

AI summary

A female coupling member having a valve member which provides a secure closing effect is provided. The coupling member includes an outer annular sealing member (56) which is sandwiched between an outer peripheral surface (54) of the valve member and an outer valve seat portion (38) for sealing therebetween when a valve member (44) is at a closed position, and an inner annular sealing member (60) fixedly attached to the valve member (44) on the radially outer side with respect to an inner valve seat portion (42). The inner annular sealing member extends radially inward beyond an annular surface defining a valve opening (40) of the inner valve seat portion. When the outer annular sealing member (56) is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the valve member and the outer valve seat potion, the inner annular sealing member engages with the inner valve seat portion (42) and is elastically deformed so as to be bent, thereby being pressed against the inner valve seat portion (42) for sealing between the inner valve seat portion (42) and an inner peripheral surface of the valve member (44).