Plug-Coded Rotary Valve Coupling for Misassembly Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3/2- or 2/2-way valves require removal and reinstallation when incorrectly assembled, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need to drain and refill systems upon discovery of incorrect installation.
Innovation Solution
A valve design featuring a T-shaped plug-in contour for the drive shaft and motor housing with a position indicator using colored ring segments for rotational symmetry, allowing for internal flow direction change without disassembly, and a method to reverse the switching logic by manually rotating and reattaching components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the valve is installed incorrectly in a pipeline, then the entire valve must be removed and reinstalled, but this causes water to be drained and system operation to be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is divided into separable components: a valve body that remains installed in the pipeline, and a motor assembly that can be removed and reattached. This allows correction of incorrect installation by detaching only the motor assembly, rotating it 180 degrees, and reattaching it, without draining the system or removing the valve body from the pipeline.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor assembly is designed with a rigid rotary coupling that allows it to be detached and reattached in a different rotational orientation (180 degrees). This dynamic reconfigurability enables the switching logic to be reversed without permanent installation, allowing the valve to be corrected in place while maintaining system continuity.
2Reliability
If the motor is coded to the valve to prevent incorrect installation, then correct assembly is ensured, but incorrect assembly cannot be corrected without removing the entire valve
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is segmented into a fixed valve body and a removable motor assembly. The motor assembly can be detached and reattached in alternative orientations, providing both prevention of incorrect installation (through coded interfaces) and correction capability (by allowing 180-degree rotation and reattachment).
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational orientation parameter of the motor assembly can be changed by 180 degrees through detachment and reattachment. This parameter change allows reversal of the switching logic while maintaining the coded interface structure, enabling both prevention and correction of misassembly.
3Device complexity
If the valve body and motor are permanently connected, then assembly simplicity is maintained, but flexibility to correct installation errors is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is divided into a valve body and a motor assembly that are connected through a standardized interface. This segmentation maintains relative simplicity of the overall assembly while enabling the motor assembly to be detached and reattached in different orientations for correction of installation errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid rotary coupling interface serves multiple functions: it provides a coded connection for prevention of incorrect installation, allows for deliberate 180-degree rotation for correction, and maintains a standardized connection that simplifies the overall assembly structure. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A valve (1') according to the invention comprises: - a valve housing (2) with several valve openings (3, 4, 5), - a valve body (7) freely rotatable in the valve housing (2) about an axis of rotation (6), which connects two of the several valve openings (3, 4, 5) to each other in a first valve rotation position and locks them against each other in a second valve rotation position rotated by 90° relative to the first valve rotation position, wherein two valve openings (4, 5) are diametrically opposed to each other with respect to the axis of rotation (6), - an electric motor (8) for rotating the valve body (7) forwards and backwards by 90° each time between the first and the second valve rotation positions, and - a rigid rotary coupling (10) arranged between the valve body (7) and the electric motor (8), which is connected, in a rotationally fixed manner, at one end to the valve body (7) and at the other end to a drive shaft (9) of the electric motor (8).wherein the plug-in contour of the drive shaft (9) and the associated mating plug-in contour (23) of the rotary coupling (10) have a plug-in cross-section that is not rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation (6).