Valve Gun Rear Trigger and Front Lock Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve guns for high-pressure cleaners are difficult to handle due to the placement of the triggering member and locking mechanism, requiring users to exert significant force and endure fatigue, especially when actuating the pivot lever and securing lever against spring-elastic reset forces.
Innovation Solution
The triggering member is positioned at the rear side of the handgrip, and the first locking member at the front side, allowing intuitive operation with the heel of the hand and fingers, respectively, and a coupling lever system that reduces the actuating force required to open the valve by changing lever ratios during movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the triggering member is positioned at the front side of the handgrip and the locking member is positioned below it, then the valve can be controlled effectively, but the user must exert significant force and experience fatigue during prolonged operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the triggering member at the rear side of the handgrip and the locking member at the front side. This inversion allows the triggering member to be actuated by the heel of the user's hand, which is a more comfortable and less fatiguing position for prolonged operation, while still maintaining effective valve control.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling lever acts as an intermediary mechanism between the triggering member and the valve. It transmits the actuating force from the triggering member to the valve while providing mechanical advantage through changing lever ratios during movement, thereby reducing the force the user must exert.
2Reliability
If the locking member is positioned to secure the triggering member effectively, then the valve is protected from unintentional actuation, but the user must pull the triggering member and locking member with significant force
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the positions of the triggering and locking members, the patent enables the locking member to be actuated by the user's fingers at the front of the handgrip, which is a more ergonomic position that requires less force for unlocking while maintaining secure locking during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling lever provides dynamic mechanical advantage by changing its lever ratio during the actuation movement. As the triggering member moves from the rest position to the release position, the coupling lever's effective arm lengths change, providing increasing mechanical advantage and reducing the force required to unlock and actuate the valve.
3Ease of operation
If a pivot lever mechanism is used for triggering, then the valve can be opened and closed, but the user experiences fatigue due to the spring-elastic reset force
Solution Approach 1:
Positioning the triggering member at the rear of the handgrip allows it to be actuated by the heel of the hand, which is a more comfortable position for prolonged operation. This inversion of the conventional front-positioned trigger arrangement significantly reduces user fatigue during extended use.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling lever provides dynamic mechanical advantage through changing lever ratios during the actuation movement. As the triggering member moves from the rest position to the release position, the coupling lever's effective arm lengths change, providing increasing mechanical advantage and reducing the force required to overcome the spring-elastic reset force throughout the movement.
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 configuration simplifies handling by reducing the force needed to actuate the valve, leveraging recoil from discharged liquid to support the valve gun against the user's hand and minimizing user fatigue, while maintaining effective liquid flow control.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling lever (32) which reduces the actuating force required to open the valve by changing lever ratios during movement
Implementation Method 2
leveraging recoil from discharged liquid to support the valve gun against the user's hand
Data Source
AI summary
A valve gun for a high-pressure cleaner is provided, including an inlet channel with an inlet for supplying a pressurized liquid and an outlet channel with an outlet for discharging the liquid, a valve arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet, a triggering member manually movable between a rest position and a release position for opening and closing the valve, a first locking member manually movable between a locking position and an unlocking position for locking the triggering member in the rest position, and a handgrip graspable by the user. In order to further develop the valve gun such that it is easier to handle, the triggering member can be arranged at the rear side of the handgrip that faces away from the outlet, and that the first locking member can be arranged at the front side of the handgrip that faces the outlet.