Hydraulic Valve Spring Adjustment Without Backlash Flow Instability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic valve units require disassembly and significant effort to adjust initial pressure settings, and structures with worms and worm wheels lead to unstable flow rates due to backlash, complexity, and high maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic valve unit with an initial pressure adjustment mechanism that allows external adjustment using a spring bearing member and an operating body, eliminating the need for worms or worm wheels, ensuring stable flow rates and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a worm and worm wheel mechanism is used to allow external adjustment of the biasing spring, then the initial pressure can be adjusted from outside the valve block, but backlash exists between the worm and worm wheel causing unstable flow rate control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the worm and worm wheel mechanical transmission system with a direct linear movement mechanism. The operating body moves linearly to directly push or pull the spring bearing member, eliminating the intermediate gear transmission that causes backlash. This substitution maintains external adjustability while ensuring direct force transmission and stable flow rate control.
2Ease of operation
If a worm and worm wheel mechanism is used for external adjustment, then the biasing spring can be adjusted from outside, but the structure becomes complicated and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the adjustment mechanism into simple functional components: an operating body with an operation input portion and operation output portion, and a spring bearing member. The operating body directly transmits movement to the spring bearing member without complex intermediate mechanisms, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining external adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the complex worm and worm wheel gear system and replaces it with a direct linear movement transmission mechanism. The operating body moves linearly to directly adjust the spring bearing member position, significantly reducing structural complexity and improving maintainability.
3Manufacturing precision
If the entire valve block is disassembled to change the initial pressure setting, then the biasing spring force can be adjusted, but significant effort and time loss are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adjustment function from the internal assembly process and creates a separate external adjustment mechanism. The operating body can be operated from outside the valve block to adjust the spring bearing member position, allowing initial pressure settings to be changed without disassembling the entire valve block, thus saving significant time and effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an operating body as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the external operation interface and the internal spring bearing member. This intermediary allows adjustment operations to be performed externally while transmitting the adjustment force internally, eliminating the need for complete disassembly.
4Reliability
If high machining precision is required for the worm and worm wheel mechanism, then backlash can be minimized, but manufacturing costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gear transmission system with a direct linear movement mechanism. The operating body moves linearly to directly push or pull the spring bearing member without intermediate gears, eliminating backlash entirely. This approach achieves flow rate stability without requiring high machining precision for gear teeth engagement.
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
Enables stable flow rate adjustment with minimal risk of backlash, reduces complexity, and simplifies maintenance by allowing external adjustment of biasing spring force without requiring high machining precision.
Implementation Method 1
a solenoid configured to move the spool in such a direction as to open and close the oil passage in response to a control current applied to the solenoid
Implementation Method 2
a biasing spring biasing the spool in such a direction as to return the spool to an initial position thereof
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is, as an operating mechanism for adjusting a biasing spring from outside a valve block, a mechanism that achieves stable flow rate adjustment while avoiding a structure that generates backlash. The operating mechanism includes: a spool 40a configured to adjust a flow rate of an oil passage disposed in a valve block 30; a solenoid 5 configured to move the spool 40a; a biasing spring 50 biasing the spool 40a in such a direction as to return the spool 40a to an initial position thereof, at least one initial pressure adjustment mechanism 6 configured to adjust a biasing force of the biasing spring 50. The at least one initial pressure adjustment mechanism 6 includes: a spring bearing member 51; an operating body 60 including an operation input portion 61 operable from outside the valve block 30 and an operation output portion 62 located inside the valve block 30 and in contact with the spring bearing member 51, and the at least one initial pressure adjustment mechanism 6 is configured to adjust the biasing force in response to the operation input portion 61 being operated to move the spring bearing member 51 in first directions in which the spool moves.