Metering Valve Double Wall Structure Throttling Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art metering valves for aerosol cans tend to 'throttle', leading to continuous product discharge, inaccurate dosing, and wastefulness, due to poor design and manufacturing tolerances, requiring entire redesign for different product volumes and suffering from sealing issues.
Innovation Solution
A metering valve with a contiguous double wall structure and a flexible seal ring with an inner embossment, allowing axial and radial expansion, ensuring precise sealing and consistent dosing without requiring entire redesign for different volumes, and preventing throttling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a frictional sealing fit between two plastic valve components is used to separate container contents from the metering chamber, then sealing is achieved, but the valve requires extremely close tolerances and critical alignment of molded parts during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible diaphragm made of elastomeric material to create the seal between the container contents and the metering chamber. This flexible membrane replaces the rigid frictional sealing fit between two plastic components, allowing for tolerance compensation while maintaining reliable sealing performance. The diaphragm can deform to accommodate manufacturing variations in the mating surfaces.
2Reliability
If the valve spring is made sufficiently forceful to overcome the interference fit of the sealing device upon valve closing, then the valve can shut properly, but the valve stem may fail to return to the initial closed position after depression due to insufficient return force or pre-load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a return spring that acts as a counterbalancing force to the main valve spring. While the main spring provides the force needed to overcome the interference fit and seal the valve, the return spring ensures the valve stem returns to its initial closed position after depression. This dual-spring arrangement balances the conflicting requirements of strong closing force and reliable return function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cylindrical valve body is redesigned and manufactured with adjusted wall thickness and length to accommodate different product volumes, then different dosages can be dispensed, but the entire metering valve body and majority of components must be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the valve body into separate modular sections that can be independently configured. By segmenting the structure, different dosages can be achieved by changing only specific components or internal dimensions of individual modules rather than redesigning the entire valve body. This reduces production complexity and inventory requirements while maintaining dosage adaptability.
4Ease of manufacture
If inadequate sealing engagement and material incompatibility between the valve stem and seal ring occur, then product leaks from the container reservoir through the poor seal, but this leads to inadvertent over-dispensing and total release of product contents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes composite material construction for the sealing components, combining different materials with complementary properties. The seal ring and valve stem are made from material combinations that ensure chemical compatibility and proper friction characteristics. This prevents both leakage and binding, ensuring reliable sealing engagement while maintaining ease of assembly through material selection rather than complex machining.
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 solution provides reliable, accurate, and consistent dispensing of a desired product quantity, minimizing manufacturing complexity and preventing inadvertent product discharge, while allowing for easy adjustment of dosage without re-manufacturing the valve body.
Implementation Method 1
Some prior art designs utilize a frictional sealing fit between two plastic valve components to separate the contents of the container from the metering chamber.
Implementation Method 2
a valve spring, accommodated by the valve, be sufficiently forceful to overcome the interference fit of this sealing device upon the valve closing sequence
Data Source
AI summary
A metering valve having a contiguous double wall structure including an inner wall defining the metering chamber and an outer wall which defines a crimping and support wall against which the inner rim of the mounting cup of the container can be crimped. The outer wall may be maintained at the same diameter and thickness for use with generally any mounting cup which are approximately an inch in diameter as well as any mounting process and machinery. The inner wall may however be sized differently in order to accommodate different dosages for metering of product. A radial space between the inner and outer wall permits the both the axial elongation of the metering chamber as well as a radial expansion of the inner wall and hence the valve chamber relative to the outer wall due to the space between the inner and outer wall.