Rotary Flow Valve with Tapered Groove for Low-Rate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow rate adjusting devices, such as those described in Japanese Patent No. 5144880, suffer from high manufacturing costs due to numerous components like motors and mechanisms, and struggle to accurately adjust fluid flow rates in low flow rate ranges, particularly below 30 mL/min.
Innovation Solution
A flow rate adjusting device with a circularly columnar valve portion and an accommodation hole, featuring inflow and outflow grooves that adjust fluid flow through rotational positioning, eliminating the need for motors and transmission mechanisms, allowing for precise control of flow rates in low ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motor and transmission mechanism are used to adjust the needle valve position, then the flow rate can be dynamically adjusted to a particular flow rate, but the manufacturing cost increases due to a large number of components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the motor and transmission mechanism from the flow rate adjusting device, retaining only the essential valve structure. This eliminates unnecessary components that increase manufacturing cost while preserving the core flow rate adjustment functionality through manual operation of the valve body and needle valve assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body is designed with an integrated flow rate adjustment mechanism where the operator directly manipulates the valve structure without requiring external power sources or transmission components. The self-contained design allows flow rate adjustment through direct mechanical operation, eliminating the need for motors and reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Device complexity
If a needle valve insertion level change is used to adjust flow rate, then the structure is simple, but it is difficult to suitably adjust the flow rate to a desired flow rate in a low flow rate range (for example, a range of 30 mL/min or lower) due to relatively large change in flow rate relative to change in insertion level
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating different flow control characteristics in different regions of the valve. The valve body incorporates a specifically designed flow passage structure that provides fine control resolution in the low flow rate range, while maintaining overall structural simplicity. This localized optimization allows precise adjustment without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire device.
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
The device can be manufactured at lower costs and maintains fluid flow rates at any desired level, including low flow rates, without the use of motors or complex mechanisms, providing precise control and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the flow rate adjusting channel is a channel extending from one end to the other end between the outflow groove and the inner circumferential face of the accommodation hole and connecting the outflow hole and the outflow channel to each other, and the cross section area of the flow rate adjusting channel gradually decreases in accordance with a distance in the circumferential direction from the one end of the outflow groove
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a flow rate adjusting device 100 includes a first member 10 having a valve portion 11 and a second member 20 having an accommodation hole 21 whose cross section is circular, the first member 10 is accommodated rotatably in the second member 20, the second member 20 has an outflow channel 23 configured to guide a fluid from an inner circumferential face 21a of the accommodation hole 21 to an outflow pipe 2 connected to the second member 20, the valve portion 11 has an inflow hole 11b, an outflow hole 11c, and an outflow groove 11e formed in the outer circumferential face 11a circumferentially about a first axis AX1, the outflow groove 11e forms a flow rate adjusting channel extending circumferentially between the accommodation hole 21 and the inner circumferential face 21a and connecting the outflow hole 11c and the outflow channel 23 to each other, and the sectional area of the flow rate adjusting channel gradually decreases in accordance with the distance ranging circumferentially from one end 11e1 of the outflow groove 11e.