Dual-End Adjustable Flow Control Valve for In-Situ Duct Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustment devices for air flow rates in aeraulic ducts require complex and time-consuming manual manipulation, leading to potential misalignment and degradation, making it difficult to accurately adjust flow rates without removing the device from the duct.
Innovation Solution
An adjustment device with a movable adjustment valve and control members positioned in upstream and downstream areas, allowing for rotation and positioning modification without removing the device from the duct, utilizing connecting means and drive elements with notches and helical splines for efficient adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the adjustment valve is manually manipulated by removing the device from the duct, then the position can be modified, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The control members are extracted from the traditional single-sided configuration and positioned on both ends of the adjustment device, allowing operation without removing the device from the duct. This extraction of the control function to multiple accessible locations resolves the contradiction by enabling easy operation while eliminating the time loss associated with device removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment device transitions from a static, fixed-position control mechanism to a dynamic system where control members can be accessed from multiple positions. The valve can be adjusted from either end of the device while installed in the duct, creating operational flexibility that resolves the time and complexity issues.
2Ease of operation
If the device is removed from the duct for adjustment, then the valve position can be changed, but misalignment and degradation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control functionality is extracted and distributed to both ends of the device, allowing adjustment operations to be performed in-situ without removing the device from the duct. This maintains the device's aligned position while providing easy accessibility for adjustments, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and alignment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control members are pre-positioned on both ends of the adjustment device during installation, enabling future adjustments to be made without device removal. This preliminary configuration prevents misalignment and degradation by ensuring the device remains in place during all adjustment operations.
3Device complexity
If control members are positioned on one end only, then the structure is simple, but adjustment requires device removal from duct
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple control members distributed at different locations (both ends of the device) rather than concentrated at a single location. This segmentation enables in-situ adjustment from either end while the device remains installed in the duct, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment device gains multi-functionality by enabling control from both ends, making it universally operable regardless of which end is more accessible. This universal access capability is achieved without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the additional control member mirrors the existing design.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustment device designed to adjust a flow rate of a fluid flowing in a duct, including a body in which an adjustment valve is mounted, movable in rotation about an adjustment axis, the body having an area upstream of the adjustment axis and a downstream area opposite to the upstream area with respect to the adjustment axis, where the adjustment axis is equipped with connecting means which cooperate with at least one first control member positioned in the downstream area and a second control member positioned in the upstream area.