Compact Manual Valve Locking Mechanism for Closed-Position Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manual valves between pneumatic devices and electromagnetic valves lack a lock mechanism, which is desired by frontline workers, and incorporating a lock mechanism increases the valve size due to the use of larger valves to accommodate the mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A compact manual valve design featuring a bent-plate shaped movable member with an engagement part and guide hole, supported by a pivotally attached support rod, allowing the handle to be locked only in a predetermined position, enabling a small-sized valve with a lock mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lock mechanism is added to the manual valve, then safety and operational control are improved, but the valve size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is nested within the existing valve body structure. The movable member with the engagement part is integrated into the valve body, and the lock engages with this pre-positioned engagement part, allowing the lock mechanism to be contained within the existing valve footprint rather than adding external components.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock mechanism operates in a different dimensional space by using a movable member that pivots on a support rod. The engagement part engages with the handle in a radial direction while the movable member itself moves in an axial direction, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space within the existing valve structure.
2Ease of operation
If a lock mechanism is added to the manual valve, then operational control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted as a separate, independent mechanism from the main valve operation. The lock mechanism with its movable member and engagement part operates independently from the handle rotation, allowing the locking function to be added without complicating the primary valve operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement part is designed to automatically engage with the handle when the movable member is in the locked position, and the lock itself serves to maintain this position. The mechanism is self-containing, with the movable member both providing the engagement surface and being the element that is locked.
Data Source
AI summary
A manual valve provided with a valve body and a handle includes a lock mechanism to which a lock is attachable. The lock mechanism includes a movable member provided with first and second plate portions, and a support rod pivotally supporting the movable member. The movable member includes a mating hole engageable with only the handle placed in a fully-closed position. The movable member is guided along a guide hole through which the support rod is inserted to move between a locking position where the mating hole is engaged with the handle to lock the handle and an unlocking position where the mating hole is not engaged with the handle to allow rotation of the handle.