Valve Handle Sliding Ring Lock for Secure Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary valves, particularly shut-off valves, lack a reliable locking mechanism for the turning handle that prevents removal and ensures secure positioning, especially for compact designs, and existing solutions require additional components that are prone to loss or complexity.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a non-rotatable sliding ring on the handle that locks into a latching ring on the valve housing, with a releasable adapter and snap-action connections, allowing the handle to be locked in place and preventing removal, utilizing a form-fitting design with axial and radial fixing elements to secure the handle and adapter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate locking element is added to the valve, then the valve position can be locked, but the device complexity increases and the locking element is prone to loss
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element is integrated into the handle itself through a sliding ring mechanism, merging the locking function with the existing handle structure. This eliminates the need for separate locking elements that could be lost, while reducing device complexity by combining multiple functions into a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is designed to serve multiple functions: actuation of the valve and locking of the valve position. The sliding ring mechanism enables the handle to transition between operational mode (rotating to actuate valve) and locking mode (preventing further rotation), making the handle a multi-functional component that eliminates the need for separate locking devices.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is integrated into the handle, then the handle cannot be removed in locked position, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding ring mechanism provides dynamic functionality, allowing the handle to switch between two states: operational (sliding ring retracted, permitting rotation and handle removal) and locked (sliding ring extended, preventing rotation and handle removal). This dynamic design maintains ease of operation during normal use while providing secure locking when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking action is prepared in advance by positioning the sliding ring. Before the handle needs to be secured, the user displaces the sliding ring to the locked position, which preemptively prevents both rotation and handle removal. This preliminary locking action simplifies the overall operation by eliminating the need for separate locking steps during critical moments.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for locking a turning handle of a valve containing a handle for actuating a shut-off element of a valve, a latching ring that can be arranged in a rotationally conjoint manner on a valve housing support for an actuating device and an adapter that can be arranged on a drive journal of a shut-off element such that it can be fixed and released again, wherein the adapter and the handle are connected to one another in a releasable manner, wherein an axially displaceable and non-rotatable sliding ring is arranged on the handle, wherein the sliding ring can be displaced axially into a locking or open position and in the locking position the sliding ring locks the rotational movement of the handle and the handle cannot be removed from the valve on account of the position of the sliding ring in the locking position.