Elastic Annular Valve Body for Compact Flow Regulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow rate regulators are bulky, complex, and expensive to manufacture, making them unsuitable for confined spaces and requiring high installation heights, while lacking valves that can move under pressure to control flow effectively.
Innovation Solution
A compact flow rate regulator design featuring a ring-shaped valve body made of elastic material within an annular valve channel that deforms under pressure to close the valve opening, ensuring efficient and cost-effective operation by eliminating the need for axial guidance and maintaining a large flow cross-section, with concentric annular channels and a cross-shaped securing element to prevent floating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If a conventional flow rate regulator with axial valve movement is used, then the valve opening can be sufficiently large, but the installation height increases and the device becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is made from elastic material and deforms dynamically under pressure differential to transition between open and closed positions, replacing the static axial movement mechanism with a dynamic pressure-responsive deformation mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body is constructed from elastic material that can deform flexibly under pressure, eliminating the need for rigid axial guidance structures and reducing the overall installation height while maintaining adequate valve opening cross-section
2Ease of operation
If axial guidance structures are added to guide valve body movement, then the valve can move between positions, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic valve body automatically deforms and returns to its original shape based on the pressure differential across it, eliminating the need for external guidance structures or control mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical axial guidance system is replaced with a pressure-driven elastic deformation mechanism, where the valve body's own elasticity provides the restoring force and movement control
3Device complexity
If the valve body is made from elastic material and deforms under pressure, then the device becomes compact and cost-effective, but the valve body must withstand pressure differential without structural failure
Solution Approach 1:
The physical state and properties of the valve body are changed by selecting elastic material with appropriate pressure resistance characteristics, allowing it to deform under operating pressure while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body utilizes elastic material that combines flexibility for deformation with sufficient strength to withstand the pressure differential, achieving both compactness and pressure resistance
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 achieves a desired maximum flow capacity at low pressures, is resistant to faults, requires minimal maintenance, and is suitable for confined spaces due to its compact and efficient configuration, ensuring reliable fluid control.
Implementation Method 1
the annular valve body deforms under the pressure of the flowing medium in such a way that the valve body moves from the open position against the restoring force of the inherent elasticity of the elastic material used for the valve body into the closed position
Implementation Method 2
The cross-sectional area of this gap can be varied by the throttling element deforming under the pressure differential generated during flow
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~9
Figure 10~14
AI summary
The invention relates to a flow-volume regulator (1, 110) having a regulator housing (2) which (2) has at least one regulator ring channel (3) which (3) contains an annular flow restrictor (4) made of elastic material which (4) bounds, between itself and a channel wall that bears a regulatory profiling (5), a control gap (6) for which (6) it is possible to alter the passage cross section by means of the flow restrictor (4), which deforms under the pressure difference that forms during the flow, and also having at least one valve (7) which has a valve body (8) which (8) moves under the pressure of the flowing medium from an open position counter to a restoring force into a closed position, in which closed position the valve body (8) closes off at least one valve opening. In order to be able to make the flow-volume regulator according to the invention compact and also to mount it in space-saving fashion under confined circumstances, the invention provides for the valve body (8) to be provided in a valve ring channel (9) in the regulator housing (2) which valve ring channel (9) has at least one valve opening in the region of its channel base, for the valve body (8) to be of annular design and to made from elastic material, and for the annular valve body (8) to deform under the pressure of the flowing medium such that the valve body (8) moves from the open position counter to the restoring force of the inherent elasticity of the elastic material used for the valve body (8) into the closed position.