Modular Fluid Dispensing Nozzle With Quarter-Turn Service Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing nozzles require complex assembly and disassembly of numerous components for servicing, making it time-consuming and requiring high engineering skills, often necessitating replacement of the entire nozzle for maintenance, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
The modularization of key components such as the poppet valve assembly, automatic shutoff assembly, and spout assembly allows for easy removal and replacement of entire units, facilitated by simple quarter-turn mechanisms and tapered designs, enabling field servicing without disassembling the entire nozzle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If traditional non-modular nozzle design is used, then the nozzle structure is integrated and robust, but servicing requires complete disassembly of numerous components which is time-consuming and requires high engineering skills
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is divided into distinct modular assemblies including a poppet assembly, an automatic shutoff assembly, and a spout assembly. Each assembly can be independently removed and replaced as a complete unit, eliminating the need to disassemble individual components within each assembly during servicing.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular assemblies are designed with standardized interfaces that allow them to be universally applied to the nozzle body. The quarter-turn retention mechanism provides a universal method for securing and releasing multiple different assemblies, simplifying the servicing process across various nozzle configurations.
2Productivity
If traditional nozzle design is used, then all components are integrated into a single unit, but replacement of worn components requires returning the entire nozzle to the manufacturing plant
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the nozzle into replaceable assemblies, worn components can be serviced by replacing only the affected assembly rather than the entire nozzle. This allows rapid field servicing where a service person can remove and replace assemblies in minutes without sending the complete nozzle back to the manufacturer.
Solution Approach 2:
The affected assembly is extracted from the nozzle for replacement, allowing servicing to be performed on just the necessary component rather than the entire assembly or nozzle. This extraction principle enables quick replacement of only the worn poppet, shutoff, or spout assembly as needed.
3Ease of operation
If modular assemblies with quarter-turn retention are used, then servicing is simplified and can be performed in the field, but the retention mechanism requires precise quarter-turn operation
Solution Approach 1:
The retention mechanism is segmented into discrete quarter-turn positions that provide natural tactile feedback for proper engagement and disengagement. This segmentation into specific rotational increments simplifies the operation while maintaining precise control through the modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The quarter-turn retention mechanism acts as an intermediary between the service person and the modular assembly. It provides a simplified interface that requires only a quarter-turn motion to securely engage or release assemblies, mediating the complexity of the internal components while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Modularized components assembled dispensing nozzle, including operating components in the category of a poppet valve assembly, an automatic shutoff device, a hand operating lever for providing a turn on or shutoff of the dispensing of fluid through the nozzle, and a connected spout that delivers fluid to the fill pipe and fuel tank for a vehicle or fluid accepting container. Each of the identified components having been redesigned for assembly in modularized form, such as a modular cartridge for the poppet valve, a modular cartridge for the automatic shutoff device, a modularized operating hand lever, and a spout and its gland and retaining nut that provide for high speed interconnection with the nozzle body, during assembly, or servicing. Each of these modularized components can be installed, during assembly of the manufactured nozzle, or can be replaced, out in the field, by a service person, as a modularized component or cartridge assembly.