Spray Nozzle Piston with Frustoconical Sealing for Cleaning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing spray nozzles face challenges in efficiently managing the flow of liquids between spray and cleaning positions, leading to potential contamination and inefficiencies in fluid distribution.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a piston and piston seat with cone-stump sections, allowing for a defined flow path with adjustable cross-sections between spray and cleaning positions, ensuring efficient fluid flow and contamination removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a piston is used to control flow path cross-section between spray and cleaning positions, then fluid flow control is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefluid flow controlVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The piston is designed to be movable between a spray position and a cleaning position, dynamically changing the flow path cross-section. In the spray position, the piston creates a restricted flow path for precise liquid delivery, while in the cleaning position, it moves to allow unrestricted flow for flushing contaminants. This dynamic reconfiguration enables a single component to serve multiple functions without requiring separate valves or complex control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the piston and piston seat are geometrically adapted with tapered sections, then sealing performance is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The piston and piston seat incorporate frustoconical (truncated cone) sections that taper in the direction of fluid flow. This geometric adaptation creates a line contact sealing interface when the piston is in the spray position, ensuring reliable sealing despite the added manufacturing complexity of forming precise conical surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the piston is moved between spray and cleaning positions, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontaminant removalVSAvoidswitching time
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system operates in periodic cycles, alternating between spray position for liquid delivery and cleaning position for flushing contaminants. The frustoconical geometry enables rapid transition between these states, and the spring mechanism facilitates quick return to the spray position, minimizing the time lost during mode switching while maintaining effective cleaning capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

4Ease of operation

If a frustoconical piston and piston seat are used, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemode switchingVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The frustoconical piston and piston seat are designed to work together with a spring mechanism that automatically returns the piston to the spray position after cleaning. The tapered geometry creates natural sealing and guiding effects, allowing the system to self-regulate and switch modes with minimal external control, thereby improving ease of operation despite the complex geometry.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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

This design enables efficient operation by maintaining a dense fit between the piston and piston seat, reducing fluid losses, and allowing for easy conversion between spray and cleaning modes, thereby ensuring reliable and efficient liquid handling.

Implementation Method 1

the piston can be moved between a spraying position and a cleaning position... the movement of the piston between the spraying position and the cleaning position can be brought about, for example, by changing the pressure of the liquid to be sprayed, optionally in conjunction with a spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4552747A1Spray nozzle and method for operating a spray nozzle
Publication Date: 2025.05.14 LECHLER GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4552747A1 patent drawingFigure 1~8
  • EP4552747A1 patent drawingFigure 9~16
  • EP4552747A1 patent drawingFigure 17~24

AI summary

Spray nozzle for spraying liquids with a housing (12) having an inlet opening (14) and an outlet opening (16) for the liquid to be sprayed, wherein at least one flow path for the liquid to be sprayed is provided between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, wherein the at least one flow path is formed at least sectionally between a piston displaceable within the housing and a piston seat of the housing, wherein the piston (20) is displaceable between a spray position and a cleaning position, wherein the piston (20) and the piston seat are formed at least sectionally in a frustoconical shape, and wherein in the spray position a frustoconical section (26) of the piston rests against a frustoconical section of the piston seat, and in the cleaning position the frustoconical section of the piston is lifted away from the frustoconical section of the piston seat.