Releasable Coupling for Gas Distribution Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for gas distribution lines in vehicle refueling systems suffer from permanent deformation and damage when the hose is dragged, rendering them unusable after a single event.
Innovation Solution
A releasable coupling design featuring a first and second half-part with a longitudinally movable shutter and an oscillatable cylindrical sleeve divided into distinct sectors, allowing for safe disconnection without damage, utilizing elastic elements and a specific locking mechanism to ensure thread continuity and sector oscillation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety device is used to isolate the supply line when the hose is dragged, then fuel leak prevention is achieved, but the device undergoes permanent deformation and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling is divided into two separable half-parts (first half-part 2 and second half-part 3) that can disconnect from each other. The sleeve (7) is segmented into multiple oscillatable sectors (15) that can independently move. This segmentation allows the coupling to separate safely under dragging forces without permanent deformation of the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter (5) is made axially movable under the action of an elastic element (6), and the sleeve sectors (15) are made oscillatable. These dynamic elements can respond to dragging forces by moving or disconnecting, allowing the device to withstand repeated dragging events without permanent damage, thus resolving the contradiction between safety isolation and device durability.
2Strength
If the coupling components are made robust to prevent damage, then device durability is improved, but the ability to oscillate and release during dragging is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is divided into multiple oscillatable sectors (15) that can move independently. These sectors are designed with sufficient flexibility to oscillate during dragging events, enabling automatic release. The robust enclosing support (8) with radial protrusions (11) provides structural strength while allowing the sectors to oscillate within defined limits, thus maintaining both durability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the sleeve into multiple independent sectors (15), each sector can oscillate and respond to dragging forces individually. This segmentation allows the coupling to maintain overall structural integrity while enabling the specific oscillation and release function needed for ease of operation during dragging events.
3Ease of operation
If the sleeve is divided into multiple sectors for oscillation, then automatic release during dragging is enabled, but the thread continuity for fastening is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve (7) is divided into multiple distinct and separate cylinder sectors (15) that are oscillatable for release. Each sector maintains threaded portions that engage with corresponding threads on the valve body, ensuring thread continuity for fastening. The segmentation allows oscillation for automatic release while preserving the threaded connection stability through proper design of the sector geometry and thread distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the sleeve sectors have different functions: some regions provide threaded engagement for stable fastening, while other regions allow oscillation for automatic release. This local differentiation of properties within the sleeve structure enables both thread continuity and oscillation capability to coexist without compromising either function.
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
Enables safe and reusable disconnection of the gas distribution line during dragging events, preventing damage and ensuring continued functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a longitudinal valve body having a shutter that is axially movable in contrast to and by action of an elastic element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A releasable coupling (1) for a gas distribution line of a system for refuelling motor vehicles, comprising a first half-part (2) and a second half-part (3) that are reciprocally engageable, the first half-part (2) comprising a longitudinal valve body (4) having a shutter (5) that is axially movable in contrast to and by action of an elastic element (6), a cylindrical sleeve (7) that is threaded internally for fastening the first half-part (2) to the second half-part (3), and an enclosing support (8) for the sleeve (7) keyed on the valve body (4), the sleeve (7) being divided into a plurality of distinct and separate cylinder sectors (15) that are oscillatable for the release of the second half-part (3), each sector (15) subtending an angle no greater than 90°.