Valve Drive Rotor-Lift Rod Design to Prevent Jamming and Wear

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing valve drive devices suffer from issues such as the need for rotational decoupling devices to prevent jamming, require sliding disks to reduce wear, and experience axial relative movement between components, leading to increased wear and complexity.

Innovation Solution

A valve drive device with a lifting rod that moves translationally and a rotor that rotates, utilizing a rotation-limiting device to convert rotational movement into translational movement, eliminating the need for rotational decoupling and sliding disks, and ensuring no axial movement between the rotor and stator.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a rotational decoupling device and sliding disk are installed to prevent jamming and reduce wear, then the reliability of the valve drive device is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of jamming and wear reductionVSAvoidnumber of additional components
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the actuating spindle from the system, replacing it with a lifting rod that moves purely translationally. This removes the source of rotational jamming and eliminates the need for rotational decoupling devices and sliding disks, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of allowing the actuating spindle to rotate and use decoupling devices to prevent jamming, the invention inverts the approach by making the lifting rod move purely translationally without rotation. This fundamental reversal eliminates the jamming problem at its source rather than mitigating it with additional components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Power

If the actuating spindle moves axially relative to the stator to enable torque transmission, then the power transmission capability is improved, but the wear between components increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetorque transmission capabilityVSAvoidservice life due to wear
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces the traditional mechanical threaded connection between actuating spindle and valve body with a direct translational movement system. The lifting rod moves axially without rotation, and the thread connection is eliminated, substituting a wear-prone mechanical threading system with a simpler translational guidance system that reduces wear

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the functions of torque transmission and axial movement into separate components: the rotor handles rotation and torque generation, while the lifting rod handles pure axial translation. This functional segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing overall wear in the system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a rotational decoupling device and sliding disk are installed between the actuating spindle and valve body, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of jammingVSAvoidassembly and manufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the lifting rod from the rotating actuating spindle system and makes it a separate translational component. This extraction eliminates the need for rotational decoupling devices and sliding disks, simplifying assembly and reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining the reliability benefit of preventing jamming

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using a rotating actuating spindle that requires decoupling devices to prevent jamming, the invention inverts the approach by using a translational lifting rod that never rotates. This eliminates the jamming risk entirely without requiring additional components, thereby improving ease of manufacture and reducing costs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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 reduces wear, extends the service life of the valve drive device and the entire valve, allows for a compact and space-saving design, and enables optimal torque transmission without the need for additional components, simplifying assembly and reducing manufacturing costs.

Implementation Method 1

A thread converts the rotation of the actuating spindle into a translation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectScrew mechanism: Screw

Data Source

PatentEP4381211B1Valve drive device
Publication Date: 2025.07.02 ECO HLDG 1 GMBH
  • EP4381211B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4381211B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4381211B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a valve drive device (1) with a base element (2), a lifting rod (6) for driving a valve body (26), wherein the lifting rod (6) is movable with respect to the base element (2) translationally and non-rotationally along its longitudinal axis (L) between a first end position and a second end position differing from the first end position, a rotor (3) which is rotatable about the longitudinal axis (L) for driving the lifting rod (6), wherein a rotational movement of the rotor (3) can be converted by a transmission device (8) into the translational and non-rotational movement of the lifting rod (6), and with a rotation-limiting device (9) for limiting the rotational movement of the rotor (3) between a first end stop and a second end stop, wherein the lifting rod (6) is in the end position when the rotor (3) is rotated into the first end stop, and the lifting rod (6) is in the end position when the rotor (3) is rotated into the second end stop.