Pressurized Cylinder Valve Cap with Segmented Grip and Shock Absorption

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pressurized fluid bottle valve protection caps lack a balance between providing sufficient protection and allowing easy manual and visual access, while also ensuring ergonomic handling and adequate shock resistance.

Innovation Solution

A protective cap with a central tubular portion housing the valve and a concentrically arranged annular portion connected via connecting arms, forming a manual grip wheel, which provides mechanical protection and allows for easy handling, while also displaying fluid quantity information and offering shock resistance through deformable design.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a rigid cage structure is used to protect the valve, then protection capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to limited manual and visual access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection capabilityVSAvoidmanual and visual access
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The cap is divided into two concentric walls: a first wall forming a central tubular portion that houses the valve with spacing, and a second wall arranged concentrically around the first wall with an annular portion forming a hand-gripping wheel. This segmentation allows the valve to be protected within the inner tubular space while the outer annular portion provides manual access for handling the cylinder, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a solid rigid cap structure is used, then protection capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult handling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection capabilityVSAvoidhandling
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The cap structure is segmented into an inner first wall forming a tubular portion and an outer second wall with an annular hand-gripping wheel portion. The hand-gripping wheel provides a dedicated interface for manual handling operations such as rolling or tilting the cylinder, while the inner tubular portion maintains protection of the valve. This resolves the contradiction by providing specialized handling functionality without compromising protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Object-affected harmful factors

If a rigid cap structure is used, then protection capability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to reduced shock resistance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection capabilityVSAvoidshock resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cap is designed with a rigid structure that inherently provides shock resistance and impact absorption capabilities. The concentric dual-wall configuration with spacing between the first wall and the valve creates a protective zone that can absorb and distribute impact forces, protecting the valve from shock while maintaining overall structural integrity and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP3362734B1Cap for protecting a valve of a cylinder of pressurised fluid and cylinder including such a cap
Publication Date: 2021.11.24 LAIR LIQUIDE SA POUR LETUDE & LEXPLOITATION DES PROCEDES GEORGES CLAUDE
  • EP3362734B1 patent drawingFigure 1~7
  • EP3362734B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP3362734B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a cap for protecting a valve of a cylinder of pressurised fluid which includes a rigid structure (2, 3) defining a protective space for a valve, said structure (2, 3) including a lower end (4) intended for being attached to the upper end of a cylinder of pressurised fluid, characterised in that the cap (1) comprises a first wall (2) forming a central tubular portion, said tubular portion extending between the lower end (4) and an open upper end (12) defining an opening (5) for accessing an inner space intended for containing a valve, the cap (1) also including a second wall (3) arranged concentrically with spacing around the first wall (2) and defining a protection area around the first wall (2).