Safety Valve Trigger Collapse for Spring-Free Pressure Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety valves for gas containers, such as those used in motor vehicles, face challenges in reliably releasing pressure and temperature triggers without the interference of spring forces, which can compromise safety and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A safety valve design featuring a valve needle biased by a compression spring and a thermally activatable trigger unit, where the trigger unit's collapse kinematically decouples the spring and needle, allowing for pressure release without overcoming spring force, and a locking mechanism ensures irreversible opening, enhancing reliability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a compression spring is used to bias the valve needle into the seal position, then the valve can maintain a reliable sealed state, but the force required to open the valve increases, potentially compromising safety in temperature-based release scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the spring force from the valve opening process by introducing a trigger unit that collapses at a threshold temperature. When the trigger unit collapses, it removes the spring's restraining effect on the valve needle, allowing the valve to open without the gas pressure needing to overcome spring force. This separates the sealing function (maintained by spring bias) from the opening function (activated by trigger collapse).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the trigger unit from solid/intact to collapsed when the threshold temperature is reached. This parameter change (structural collapse) directly alters the force balance on the valve needle, releasing it from spring constraint and enabling opening. The trigger unit's collapse transitions the system from a spring-biased closed state to an uncontrolled opening state.
2Reliability
If the trigger unit is made longer than the spring deflection to enable kinematic decoupling, then temperature-based release reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trigger unit serves as an intermediary element between the spring and the valve needle. By positioning the trigger unit between these components and designing it to collapse at a specific temperature, it mediates the force transmission. The trigger unit's collapse interrupts the spring's direct action on the valve needle, enabling reliable temperature-based release. This intermediary mechanism adds structural elements but provides precise thermal response control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the force transmission path by introducing the trigger unit as a separate, collapsible component. Instead of a direct spring-to-needle connection, the force path is divided into spring-to-trigger and trigger-to-needle segments. This segmentation allows the trigger unit to independently respond to temperature changes and kinematically decouple the spring from the needle when needed, improving reliability while managing complexity through functional separation.
3Reliability
If the valve needle is freely movable in the axial direction after trigger collapse, then the valve can open reliably without spring force interference, but the risk of unintended movement or improper sealing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the valve needle's movability changes based on the trigger unit's state. When the trigger unit is intact, the needle is constrained in its sealed position. When the trigger unit collapses at threshold temperature, the needle becomes freely movable in the axial direction, allowing reliable opening without spring force interference. This dynamic transition from constrained to free movement ensures reliable operation while managing the risk of unintended movement through the trigger's thermal activation mechanism.
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 design improves the reliability and safety of pressure and temperature-based releases by reducing the force required to open the valve and preventing re-sealing, ensuring a secure and efficient gas release mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a compression spring device with a spring that is compressed by a deflection, in particular in relation to an unstressed state or a state in which the spring abuts a stop, and thereby biases the valve needle along the longitudinal axis into a seal position
Implementation Method 2
a thermally activatable trigger unit which has an extension or length along the longitudinal axis, said extension or length being greater than the deflection, and which is designed to collapse when a trigger temperature is reached
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a safety valve comprising a valve body with a guide bore which defines a longitudinal axis, a first opening which is formed on a base of the guide bore, and a second opening which is formed at a distance to the base along the longitudinal axis and which extends along a radial direction extending transversely to the longitudinal axis; a valve needle which is movably mounted in the guide bore of the valve body in an axial direction and which comprises a seal surface facing the first opening; a compression spring device with a spring that is compressed by a deflection and thereby biases the valve needle along the longitudinal axis into a seal position, in which the seal surface of the valve needle seals the first opening; and a thermally activatable trigger unit which has an extension along the longitudinal axis, said extension being greater than the deflection, and which is designed to collapse when a trigger temperature is reached, wherein the compression spring device is supported against the trigger unit.