Rotary Fluid Dispensing Valve Layout for Clog-Resistant Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid product dispensing assemblies are complex, bulky, and inefficient, leading to increased manufacturing and maintenance costs, longer delivery times, and quality degradation due to aging and clogging issues.
Innovation Solution
A compact and flexible assembly design with a rotatable diverting element and conduits that allows for efficient homogenization and cleaning, reducing bulkiness and enabling easy maintenance, while maintaining high accuracy and speed in fluid delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional valve arrangements with multiple radial channels of different diameters are used, then clogging of the dispense opening can be counteracted, but the assembly becomes complex to manufacture and mount, significantly increasing cost and maintenance time
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is segmented into multiple radial channels with different diameters, allowing the system to handle both main delivery and precision delivery requirements while maintaining a compact structure. This segmentation enables selective use of different channel sizes for different operational needs, preventing clogging during precision delivery without requiring a complex multi-component assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions (main delivery, precision delivery, and purging) into a single integrated valve member with multiple radial channels. This merging of functions into one component simplifies the overall assembly structure, reducing manufacturing and maintenance complexity while maintaining reliability through the multi-channel design that prevents clogging.
2Reliability
If the pump, conduits, and fluid product container are arranged reciprocally as in prior art, then delivery function is achieved, but the paths along which fluid product travels become longer, increasing delivery time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent rearranges the spatial configuration of the pump, conduits, and valve member to optimize fluid flow paths. By changing the dimensional arrangement and positioning components in a more compact, integrated layout, the fluid travel distance is reduced while maintaining all necessary delivery functions, thereby decreasing delivery time.
3Measurement precision
If conventional valve elements and conduit arrangements are used for main delivery and precision delivery, then accurate fluid delivery is achieved, but the assembly becomes bulky, requiring bigger internal volume in dispensing machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where the rotatable valve member with multiple radial channels is integrated within a compact housing that contains the pump and conduits. This nesting of components in a space-efficient configuration maintains the precision delivery capability through selective channel use while significantly reducing the overall assembly volume compared to conventional bulky arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable valve member provides dynamic control over fluid flow paths, allowing selective connection of different radial channels based on delivery requirements. This dynamic mechanism enables precise fluid delivery control without requiring multiple fixed valve components, thereby reducing assembly volume while maintaining delivery accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
An assembly for dispensing fluid products, comprising a housing (44) having a dispense opening (40) and a mount (42) for a container (12) that contains the fluid product, pumping means (45), a diverting element (53) rotatable around a rotation axis (R) provided with a first channel (A) and a second channel (8), which are in fluid communication with one another. The assembly further comprises a suction conduit (49) connected to an inlet of the pumping means (45) for withdrawing fluid product from said container (12) installed on the mount (42), a delivery conduit (50) fluidly connecting an outlet of the pumping means (45) and said rotatable diverting element (53) and an identity code, as for example a bi-dimensional or a tri-dimensional bar code, or an RFID tag, that is univocally associated to the assembly and that is configured to be read by detection means (57).