Gas Cooker Valve Segmented Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas cookers have a non-smooth firepower adjustment curve, making it difficult for users to precisely control the firepower, especially during rapid changes in the 165° to 185° rotation range.
Innovation Solution
The gas cooker features a valve with inner and outer ring gas outlets and fine-tuning channels, where the outer ring main gas outlet channel and inner ring main gas outlet channel stagger from their respective fire gas outlets within specific rotation ranges, ensuring continuous gas supply and a smoother flow control curve, facilitated by inner and outer ring fine-tuning channels with varying diameters and adjustable screws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the valve core is rotated to adjust gas flow, then the firepower can be adjusted from maximum to smaller, but the firepower does not change significantly in the beginning and drops drastically only with a slight turn in the later period
Solution Approach 1:
The gas outlet is divided into multiple segments (first gas outlet, second gas outlet, third gas outlet) with different cross-sectional areas arranged along the rotation direction of the valve core. Each segment corresponds to a different rotation angle range, creating distinct control zones: a first control angle range for coarse adjustment, a second control angle range for fine adjustment, and a third control angle range for precise control. This segmentation allows the valve to provide different levels of control sensitivity at different rotation stages.
Solution Approach 2:
Different segments of the gas outlet have different cross-sectional areas to provide locally optimized control characteristics. The first gas outlet has a larger cross-sectional area for rapid flow reduction at high firepower, while the second and third gas outlets have progressively smaller areas for finer control at lower firepower levels. This local differentiation of geometric properties enables the valve to address the non-uniform control sensitivity problem.
2Ease of operation
If the gas outlet cross section is shaped into irregular curves, then the flow control curve becomes smoother, but the control precision is not enough and the control effect for the segment where flow changes rapidly is not obvious
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single irregular curve shape, the invention divides the gas outlet into multiple discrete segments with different cross-sectional areas. Each segment can be independently optimized for its specific function: the first segment for rapid adjustment, the second and third segments for fine-tuned control. This segmentation allows precise control over the flow characteristics in each rotation angle range while maintaining overall smoothness.
Solution Approach 2:
The different gas outlet segments have asymmetric cross-sectional areas that are specifically designed to compensate for the non-uniform control sensitivity. The cross-sectional areas are deliberately made unequal to create different flow characteristics at different rotation positions, enabling both smooth overall control and precise local adjustment where needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5A
AI summary
A valve includes a valve body and a valve core rotatably disposed in the valve body; the valve core is provided with a gas inlet channel in communication with a gas source; and a sidewall of the valve core is provided with an inner ring fire gas outlet and an outer ring fire gas outlet that penetrate the sidewall. The valve body is provided with an inner ring main gas outlet channel and an inner ring fine-tuning channel corresponding to the inner ring fire gas outlet, and the valve body is provided with an outer ring main gas outlet channel and an outer ring fine-tuning channel corresponding to the outer ring fire gas outlet. During firepower adjustment, when the outer ring main gas outlet channel is staggered from the outer ring fire gas outlet, the outer ring fine-tuning channel will continue supplying gas within a certain angle rotation range, and after the inner ring main gas outlet channel is staggered from the inner ring fire gas outlet, the inner ring fine-tuning channel will continue supplying gas, so that the entire gas flow control curve becomes smoother, thereby facilitating users in precisely controlling firepower of the gas cooker.