Retractable Hose Valve Sealing for Compact Central Vacuum Inlets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing central vacuum cleaning systems lack a simple and compact way to deploy a long vacuum hose and adapt to varying wall thicknesses, often requiring large valve boxes and complex mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A compact hose valve with a valve box that includes a nozzle storage chamber, a locking assembly with an offset axis, and a sealing door to securely store and deploy a retractable suction hose, allowing for easy installation and adaptation to different wall thicknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large valve box with a seal around the entire perimeter is used, then air seal integrity is improved, but the device size and adaptability to varying wall thicknesses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the entire valve box perimeter and concentrates it to only the hose aperture area. The sealing door with its gasket seals only the hose receiving aperture, not the entire valve box perimeter, thereby maintaining air seal integrity while reducing device size and improving adaptability to varying wall thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies sealing only where necessary - at the hose receiving aperture - rather than around the entire valve box perimeter. This localized sealing approach maintains reliability at the critical interface while allowing the valve box to be compact and adaptable to different installation environments.
2Volume of stationary object
If a compact valve box is used, then device size is reduced, but the ability to accommodate varying wall thicknesses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The valve box is designed as a universal component that can accommodate varying wall thicknesses through its mounting flange that attaches to wall studs, positioning the valve box within the wall cavity. The compact design is achieved by sealing only the hose aperture, not the entire perimeter, allowing adaptation to different wall configurations.
3Device complexity
If a sealing door is used to seal only the hose aperture, then device complexity is reduced, but air seal integrity may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is extracted from a complex perimeter sealing mechanism and concentrated into a simple sealing door with gasket that seals only the hose aperture. This simplification maintains air seal integrity by focusing the sealing effort at the critical interface where hose connection occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
A hose valve for central vacuum cleaning systems having retractable suction hoses that retract into a system vacuum pipe. The hose valve comprises a valve box, a chamber connection port, and a system pipe connection port arranged to securely engage the chamber connection port. A locking assembly is radially disposed about a locking assembly axis between the chamber connection port and the system pipe connection port. The locking assembly comprises a coaxially disposed compression cylinder having a radially outer cylinder surface arranged to define symmetrically disposed helical grooves. A cylindrical deformable sleeve is coaxially disposed adjacent the compression cylinder and is radially inwardly deformable responsive to an axial compressive force. A thrust ring is disposed adjacent the chamber connection port and defines a radially inner surface having opposing inner post groove followers arranged to engage the helical grooves of the compression cylinder to urge the compression cylinder axially toward the system pipe connection port to compress the deformable sleeve to form a seal around a vacuum suction hose.