Rotating Cap Lever Protection via Automatic Closing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas bottle assemblies with rotating caps face challenges in protecting the tap and lever during falls or collisions, leading to potential shock and breakage, while solutions like limiting rotation or reinforcing the lever are complex, expensive, or compromise ergonomics.
Innovation Solution
A rotating cap design with contact edges oriented at predetermined angles to automatically urge the lever towards its closed position when rotated, ensuring protection and ease of use without requiring angular indexing between the cap and valve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cap is made fixed and indexed at a determined angular position with respect to the valve, then the lever is protected from shock and breakage, but the visibility and maneuverability of the lever are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed to rotate relative to the valve body around the vertical axis, transitioning from a static fixed position to a dynamic adjustable position. This allows the operator to rotate the cap to an optimal angular position for lever visibility and access, while still maintaining protection when rotated to cover the lever.
2Ease of operation
If a rotating cap is provided to offer freedom of installation and use, then the ease of installation and maintenance is improved, but the risk of collision between the cap and lever during transport or falls increases
Solution Approach 1:
Contact edges are provided on the cap that automatically urge the lever toward its closed position through predetermined angular orientation. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the harmful effect of potential collision by pre-positioning the lever in a protected closed state, reducing the risk of breakage during transport or falls.
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harmful collision between the rotating cap and lever is converted into a beneficial automatic closing mechanism. The contact edges are deliberately designed to interact with the lever during rotation, transforming what could be a damaging impact into a functional feature that ensures the valve remains closed.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If stops are provided to limit the rotation of the cap, then the risk of collision is reduced, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding mechanical stops or physical constraints to limit rotation, the solution changes the angular parameter orientation of the contact edges themselves. By orienting the contact edges at specific predetermined angles, the system achieves collision risk reduction through geometric configuration rather than additional mechanical components.
4Strength
If the lever is reinforced to prevent breakage, then the strength is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact edges on the cap apply a preliminary urging force to keep the lever in the closed position before any collision or harmful event occurs. This preliminary action prevents the lever from being in a vulnerable open position, eliminating the need for structural reinforcement while maintaining safety.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly including a tap (1) for controlling fluid under pressure and a protective cap (2) mounted around said tap (1), the tap (1) including at least one handling member (5) that includes a lever (5) pivotably connected to the body of the tap (1) and manually actuatable by an operator between at least a first rest position adjacent to the body of the tap (1) and a second active position shifted by a nonzero angle relative to the body of the tap (1), the cap (2) defining an inner protective space for the tap (1) and being provided with at least one first side opening (12) that enables movement of the lever (5) between the first and second positions, the lever (5) in the second position thereof intercepting the plane of the first opening (12) and optionally projecting beyond the space of the cap (2), and characterized in that, in the mounted position for the use thereof, the cap (2) is turning, that is, freely movable in rotation relative to the body of the tap (1) around an axis (A), and in that the portion of the cap (2) defining the first opening (12) has contact edges (102) capable of coming into contact with the lever (5) when the latter intercepts the plane of the first opening (12) and in that the cap (2) is set into rotation relative to the tap (1), the contact edges (102) being oriented according to predetermined angles to exert force on the lever (5) urging the latter towards the first position thereof.