Gas Pressure Regulator Reactivation Cam for Dust-Robust Safety Shutoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure regulators for gaseous fuels face reliability and structural robustness issues, particularly in dusty environments, due to malfunctions causing excessive pressure and the need for reactivation mechanisms like push-buttons which are prone to obstruction by dust and require precise processing.
Innovation Solution
A pressure regulator with a safety device featuring a rotatable actuator and cam mechanism that reactivates the closure member to allow gas flow without the need for push-buttons, utilizing a cam with a concave and convex peripheral surface to minimize rotational torque and ensure reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a push-button with linear movement is used to reactivate the safety device, then the closure member can be reactivated, but the mechanism is prone to obstruction by dust and impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the reactivation mechanism from a linear push-button motion to a rotational cam motion. The cam rotates about an axis perpendicular to the closure member's movement axis, and its eccentric profile converts this rotation into the necessary linear displacement to release the closure member. This inversion eliminates the need for a push-button that moves linearly through a dusty environment, replacing it with a rotating cam whose motion path does not require penetrating the dust-laden space in the same manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the reactivation motion from one dimension (linear push-button movement along the closure member's axis) to another dimension (rotational cam movement about a perpendicular axis). The cam's rotation about an axis perpendicular to the closure member's movement axis introduces a new dimensional approach to reactivation, where the rotational motion in a different plane converts into the required linear displacement, avoiding direct linear movement through the dusty environment.
2Ease of operation
If a sphere acting on an oblique surface is used to convert linear movement, then the closure member can be actuated, but the movement is readily obstructed by dust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the sphere-on-oblique-surface mechanism with a cam-rotation mechanism. Instead of converting linear motion to rotational motion through a sphere rolling on an inclined surface, the invention uses an eccentric cam that converts rotational motion directly into linear displacement of the closure member. This inversion of the motion conversion approach eliminates the rolling sphere that would accumulate and be obstructed by dust, replacing it with a cam profile that achieves the same functional result through rotation.
3Reliability
If precise processing of components is used to ensure correct movement transmission, then reliability improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes in the cam's geometric profile to achieve reliable movement transmission. The cam is designed with a specific eccentric profile where the distance from the rotation axis to the cam surface varies in a controlled manner, creating the desired motion pattern. By carefully designing the cam's geometric parameters (eccentricity, profile shape), the system achieves reliable closure member actuation without requiring extremely tight tolerances on other components, as the cam profile itself compensates for and defines the precise motion required.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2~5
AI summary
A pressure regulator (100) comprises a main body (1) inside which there is defined at least one chamber (11, 12), an inlet opening (101) for introducing into the chamber gas at high pressure, an outlet opening (102) for discharging gas at a reduced pressure, means for reducing the pressure of the gas (2) and a safety device (3) comprising a closure member (30) which is capable of intercepting the inlet opening (101) in the event of excess pressures inside the chamber (11, 12). The regulator further comprises a reactivation assembly (4) which is configured to reactivate the safety device (3) into an operating condition such that the flow of gas is again allowed inside the chamber (11, 12) which comprises a rotatable actuator (40) which is configured so as to urge the closure member (30) in an opening direction of the inlet opening (101) following a rotation thereof about a respective rotation axis.