Fuel Dispensing Nozzle With Staggered Coupling and Valve Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel nozzles for refueling vehicles with gases like LPG, CNG, LNG, and H2 face challenges in ensuring refueling safety and ease of use, as they require high force for actuation and have complex lever mechanisms prone to wear, leading to potential safety issues and user discomfort.
Innovation Solution
The fuel nozzle incorporates a time-delayed actuation mechanism for the clutch device and main valve, allowing for staggered movement of the hand lever to actuate the coupling device and main valve separately, reducing the required force and enhancing user-friendliness and safety by ensuring the main valve is only opened after a secure connection is established.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a lever mechanism is used to actuate both coupling device and main valve simultaneously, then the refueling process can be automated, but the required actuation force becomes too high and the mechanism becomes complex and prone to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation process is segmented into two distinct phases: first actuating the coupling device to establish a secure connection, then actuating the main valve to open the fuel flow. This segmentation allows the hand lever to be smaller and require less force, as it only needs to actuate one component at a time rather than both simultaneously through a complex lever mechanism.
2Extent of automation
If a lever mechanism is used to actuate both coupling device and main valve simultaneously, then automation is achieved, but the mechanism becomes complex and prone to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation process is segmented into two distinct phases: first actuating the coupling device to establish a secure connection, then actuating the main valve to open the fuel flow. This segmentation allows the hand lever to be smaller and require less force, as it only needs to actuate one component at a time rather than both simultaneously through a complex lever mechanism.
3Extent of automation
If simultaneous actuation of coupling device and main valve is used, then automation is achieved, but refueling reliability is compromised as main valve may open before secure connection is established
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is actuated in advance of the main valve. The hand lever first moves to actuate the coupling device, establishing a secure fluid-tight connection between the nozzle and tank inlet. Only after this preliminary action is complete does the hand lever continue its motion to actuate the main valve and open the fuel flow, ensuring reliable refueling operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3~5
Figure 6A~10
AI summary
The invention relates to a dispensing valve for dispensing a fluid into a tank, which has a first fluid connection (13) connectable to a fluid supply line, a second fluid connection (14) connectable to a connection nozzle (15) of the tank, a channel for conveying the fluid from the first (13) to the second fluid connection (14), a main valve arranged in the channel, a coupling device (30) for establishing a connection between the dispensing valve and the connection nozzle (15), and an actuating device (17) for actuating the coupling device (30) and the main valve, wherein the actuating device (17) comprises a hand lever (11) which is movable between a closed position and an open position.According to the invention, the actuating device (17) is configured to convert a movement of the hand lever in a range between the closed position and the open position into a temporally offset actuation of the clutch device and the main valve.