Segmented-Port Spool Valve for Precise Flow Rate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spool valves require high accuracy in machining sloping portions to control fluid flow rates, increasing manufacturing difficulty and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A spool valve design featuring cylindrical ports and a spool with diameter-reduced portions, allowing flexible adjustment of flow rates through varying hole sizes and positions, eliminating the need for sloping portions and simplifying manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sloping portions are machined on the spool to control flow rate gradient, then the flow rate control precision is improved, but the manufacturing difficulty and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first port is segmented into multiple through portions (first through portion, second through portion, etc.) with different widths. This segmentation allows the flow rate gradient to be controlled by the sequential opening and closing of different portions rather than requiring complex sloping machining, thus improving flow control precision while simplifying manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
Different through portions of the first port are designed with different widths (first width, second width, etc.) to create local variations in flow characteristics. This local quality differentiation enables precise flow rate control at different stages of spool movement without requiring high-precision sloping portions throughout the entire spool structure
2Adaptability or versatility
If sloping portions are machined on the spool to establish desired flow rate gradient, then the flow rate gradient control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first port is divided into multiple through portions with different widths arranged in the axial direction. This segmentation provides multiple flow paths with different characteristics, enabling flexible adjustment of flow rate gradient through spool movement without requiring complex sloping geometry, thus improving adaptability while reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of controlling flow rate gradient through axial sloping (one-dimensional approach), the invention uses radial width variations of through portions (two-dimensional approach) combined with axial positioning. This dimensional shift allows flexible flow gradient control through simple hole machining rather than complex three-dimensional sloping surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A spool valve includes: a cylindrical tubular sleeve that extends in an axial direction and comprises a first port and a second port separated from each other in the axial direction, and a cylindrical columnar spool that extends in the axial direction and comprises a diameter reduced portion. The cylindrical columnar spool moves in the axial direction through the sleeve and opens and closes the first port to cause the first port to or not to communicate with the second port, and the first port has a first through hole having a first width in a circumferential direction of the sleeve, and a second through hole having a second width different from the first width in the circumferential direction.