Gate Valve Lock Piston Detection for Hermetic Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing gate valve locking mechanism may fail to maintain a hermetically closed state if the lock spring breaks, making it difficult to determine if the lock cylinder is engaged with the piston, which can lead to the valve plate becoming movable and unable to hermetically close the chamber.
Innovation Solution
A gate valve with a lock detection unit that includes a proximity sensor and target member to determine if the lock piston is engaged in the engagement hole, ensuring the valve plate is properly locked at the hermetically closed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism with a lock spring is used to maintain the hermetically closed position, then the reliability of maintaining the closed state is improved, but the device complexity increases and the ease of detecting lock engagement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a detection mechanism that provides feedback on the engagement state of the locking mechanism. A detection member (such as a sensor or indicator) monitors whether the lock cylinder is properly engaged with the groove on the piston, and this information is fed back to the control system or displayed to the operator. This allows real-time verification of the locking state without adding complex mechanical interlocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary detection member that mediates between the lock cylinder engagement and the monitoring system. This intermediary component (such as a magnetic sensor, optical sensor, or mechanical indicator) translates the physical engagement state into a detectable signal without requiring direct complex mechanical linkages between the lock components and the monitoring system.
2Device complexity
If the lock spring is provided inside the housing to save space, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of detecting and measuring lock engagement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The detection member acts as an intermediary that can sense the engagement state through the housing wall or through a dedicated access opening. This allows the lock spring to remain concealed inside the housing while the detection function is performed by a separate component that can be positioned externally or through a minimal opening, thus maintaining both structural simplicity and detectability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical observation or manual checking of lock engagement with non-contact or minimal-contact detection methods. For example, magnetic sensors or optical sensors can detect the position of ferromagnetic or optically-marked components on the lock cylinder without requiring physical access to the internal housing space where the spring is located.
3Reliability
If a detection mechanism is added to determine lock engagement, then the reliability of detecting engagement is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection mechanism provides reliable feedback on lock engagement status, which can be used by the control system to verify proper operation before allowing system shutdown or to trigger alarms if engagement is improper. This feedback loop ensures high reliability of detection without requiring overly complex mechanisms, as the detection signal is used for critical decision-making points in the system operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection mechanism creates a simplified copy or representation of the complex lock engagement state. Instead of monitoring all mechanical interactions within the locking mechanism, the system uses a detection member that responds to a specific, easily observable aspect of engagement (such as the position of a tab, magnetic marker, or optical feature), thereby reliably indicating the overall engagement state without replicating the full mechanical complexity.
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 gate valve can reliably determine if the lock piston is engaged, ensuring the valve plate remains hermetically closed, even if the lock spring fails, thus maintaining the integrity of the vacuum processing chamber.
Implementation Method 1
a lock detection unit that includes a proximity sensor and target member to determine if the lock piston is engaged in the engagement hole
Data Source
AI summary
A gate valve includes a valve plate that opens and closes a gate opening, a valve shaft that is fixed to the valve plate, an air cylinder that includes a drive rod, and a valve moving mechanism that causes, by expanding and contracting movements of the drive rod, the valve plate to move between a hermetically closed position at which the gate opening is hermetically closed by the valve plate and a full open position at which the gate opening is fully opened. A cylinder housing of the air cylinder is provided with a locking mechanism that locks the valve plate that has moved to the hermetically closed position and a lock detection unit that detects a locked state of the valve plate. The locking mechanism includes a lock piston that is capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the cylinder housing. A cam frame that is fixed to the drive rod has an engagement hole. The lock detection unit detects whether the lock piston is in a state of being engaged in the engagement hole.