Self-Sealing Valve With Probe Directing Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing port closure systems for fluent substances lack a design that effectively protects the resilient valve during insertion and withdrawal of probes or feed/drain tools, maintains proper alignment, and resists pressure differentials, while minimizing components.
Innovation Solution
A port closure system featuring a flexible, resilient valve with self-sealing slits and an annular flange that compresses laterally inwardly to increase resistance to opening, guided by a probe directing surface, and a retention structure that clamps the valve in place, ensuring proper alignment and closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a resilient valve is used to allow probe insertion and withdrawal, then the valve can be opened to accommodate fluid flow, but the valve head may become misaligned or damaged during insertion and withdrawal operations
Solution Approach 1:
The probe directing surface is pre-formed on the valve head to guide the probe during insertion before the valve is actuated. This preliminary guidance structure ensures proper alignment is established before the probe contacts the valve membrane, preventing misalignment damage during the opening operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The probe directing surface acts as an intermediary element between the probe and the valve membrane. It provides a guided transition path that mediates the interaction, ensuring the probe follows the correct trajectory and preventing direct, potentially damaging contact with the valve membrane during insertion and withdrawal.
2Productivity
If the valve is designed to open in response to pressure differential, then fluid flow is accommodated, but the valve may be forced open unintentionally by pressure differentials during probe insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The probe directing surface creates mechanical guidance constraints that counteract the effect of pressure differentials attempting to force the valve open prematurely. By establishing a guided path through the directing surface, the system prevents the valve membrane from being forced open by pressure alone before the probe is properly positioned.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is designed to respond to the preliminary action of the probe contacting and following the probe directing surface before pressure differential effects can force premature opening. The mechanical guidance is established first, then fluid flow occurs through the properly opened valve.
3Reliability
If multiple components are used to protect and guide the valve, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The probe directing surface is merged with the valve head as an integrated feature rather than a separate component. This combining of the guidance function directly into the valve structure provides the necessary protection and alignment while avoiding the complexity of additional separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve head serves multiple functions: it acts as both the functional valve membrane and incorporates the probe directing surface for guidance. This multi-functionality reduces the total number of components needed while maintaining both the valve's flow control function and the probe guidance function.
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 system effectively protects the valve during insertion and withdrawal, maintains alignment, and resists pressure differentials, providing a leak-free seal and eliminating the need for an overcap, while minimizing components and enhancing hydraulic hammer resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible, resilient valve including a resilient, flexible head extending across the port and having an interior side, an exterior side, at least one self-sealing slit through the head, and confronting, openable portions along the slit that define a normally closed orifice
Implementation Method 2
a laterally outwardly facing peripheral surface compressed laterally inwardly by engagement with the engaging surface of the port to thereby impose a closing force on the self-sealing slit to increase the resistance of the normally closed orifice to opening in at least the second direction
Data Source
AI summary
A port closure system (20) including a retention structure (22), and a valve (24). The retention structure (22) includes a port (28) for establishing communication between an exterior environment (30) and interior volume (32) that can receive a fluent substance. The valve (24) includes a flexible, resilient, self-closing, slit-type valve head (36) with an orifice that is normally closed in an unconstrained condition. The port (28) has a laterally inwardly facing engaging surface (34) and the valve has a laterally outwardly facing peripheral surface (54) that is compressed laterally inwardly by engagement with the surface (34) to increase the resistance of the normally closed orifice to opening when the head (36) is subjected to a pressure differential. The system (20) further includes an annular flange (62) located to extend over at least a portion of an exterior side (38) of the valve head (36) to limit movement of the valve head (36) towards the exterior environment (30).