Telescoping Spray Wand Sealing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Folding and telescoping wands in lawn and garden sprayers often discharge chemical fluid when moved from extended to collapsed positions, posing health hazards and creating messes due to fluid expulsion.
Innovation Solution
A telescoping wand assembly with a shut-off valve and O-ring assembly that seals the nozzle when transitioning between collapsed and extended positions, preventing fluid leakage during movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the wand is made telescoping to save space for storage and handling, then the compactness and ease of storage are improved, but fluid is discharged when moved from extended to collapsed positions creating health hazards and messes
Solution Approach 1:
The shut-off valve is activated in advance before the wand is collapsed, preventing fluid discharge before it can occur. The valve closes the fluid passage proactively when the wand length is reduced, eliminating the harmful fluid discharge effect that would otherwise happen during collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
The shut-off valve acts as an intermediary component between the fluid source and the nozzle, controlling fluid flow. When activated, it interrupts the fluid passage to prevent discharge during wand collapse, serving as a mediating control element that resolves the contradiction between compact storage and fluid containment.
2Ease of operation
If the wand is extended to apply product at a distance without bending, then the ease of operation is improved, but the wand length increases requiring more storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The wand employs a telescoping design with movable sections that allow dynamic adjustment of length. The wand can be extended to a long operational length for convenient spraying at a distance, then collapsed to a compact short length for storage, providing dynamic adaptability between operational and storage states.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping wand sections are nested within each other when collapsed, with inner tubes fitting inside outer tubes. This nesting arrangement allows the long wand to be compacted into a small storage volume while maintaining the full extended length when needed for operation.
3Reliability
If a shut-off valve is added to prevent fluid discharge during collapse, then fluid containment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shut-off valve is designed to be automatically activated by the user's natural action of collapsing the wand. The valve mechanism self-activates through the mechanical motion of telescoping the sections, eliminating the need for separate manual operation and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable fluid containment.
Solution Approach 2:
The shut-off valve function is integrated with the telescoping mechanism itself. The valve activation is combined with the collapse motion, so that one action (collapsing the wand) simultaneously achieves both the structural compaction and the fluid shut-off functions, reducing overall device complexity.
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
Enables safe and mess-free operation by ensuring fluid containment within the wand, allowing for extended use without fluid expulsion during length adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
a shut-off valve and O-ring assembly seals the nozzle when transitioning between collapsed and extended positions, preventing fluid leakage during movement
Implementation Method 2
A spring normally biases the trigger to the closed position. The force needed to activate the trigger is substantially independent of the water pressure flow and is defined almost exclusively by the force needed to compress the spring.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The invention provides a telescoping wand assembly for use in dispensing liquid from a container, including a trigger module extending along a longitudinal axis between proximal and distal ends. The trigger module includes a tubular handle member (102), a user accessible trigger (110) positioned externally of the tubular handle member (102) that is selectively movable between first and second positions, a hose (116) positioned within the tubular handle member (102) and adapted to transport liquid from the container, and a valve actuating member that is selectively, movably actuable by movement of the trigger (110) between its first and second positions. A stationary frame assembly provides rigidity and contact points for a telescopically movable tube assembly that extends from the trigger module. A shut-off valve (160) and nozzle (184) are positioned at the distal end of the wand assembly and movement of the shut-off valve (160) is controlled by the trigger (110) and translated by way of the tube assembly.