Pressurized Fluid Valve Lever Locking for Controlled Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valves for pressurized gas cylinders are prone to inadvertent unlocking during transportation or handling, leading to potential gas release before the control member is moved, compromising safety and ergonomics.
Innovation Solution
The valve design positions the locking lever along the front face when locked, preventing movement to the active position, and when unlocked, it moves away from the body, allowing the control lever to be easily activated, with a mechanism that couples the movement of both levers to ensure safe and controlled opening, featuring distinct shut-off valve shutters and a return mechanism for stable retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism is provided to prevent inadvertent unlocking during transportation or handling, then safety is improved, but the manipulation of the locking member becomes more complicated and ergonomics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The locking lever and control lever are merged into a single integrated assembly where the locking lever is positioned adjacently to the control lever when both are in their initial positions. This integration allows both levers to be manipulated easily with one hand while maintaining the safety locking function, thus improving ergonomics without compromising safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking lever is designed to move in a different spatial dimension compared to the control lever. When unlocked, the locking lever moves away from the body of the valve in a direction that brings it to the same level as the control lever, creating a two-dimensional arrangement that facilitates easy simultaneous manipulation while maintaining distinct functional zones.
2Reliability
If the locking lever is positioned to prevent inadvertent actuation by projecting objects, then safety is improved, but the accessibility and ease of unlocking deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The locking lever is designed with dynamic positioning capability. In the locked state, it is positioned along the front face of the valve body to prevent inadvertent actuation. When unlocked, it moves away from the body to a position where it is easily accessible and can be manipulated with the same hand used for the control lever, thus maintaining both safety and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism acts as an intermediary that coordinates the movement between the locking lever and control lever. When the control lever is moved to its active position, the coupling mechanism automatically moves the locking lever to its unlocked position, ensuring that the locking lever is always positioned appropriately for its function without requiring separate manual manipulation.
3Ease of operation
If the locking lever is positioned adjacently to the control lever when both are in their initial positions, then ergonomics is improved, but the risk of simultaneous inadvertent actuation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking lever must be actively unlocked before the control lever can be actuated. This preliminary action of unlocking creates a sequential operation where the safety lock must be deliberately disengaged first, preventing simultaneous inadvertent actuation while maintaining easy accessibility for authorized operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking lever's position is dynamically adjusted based on its locked/unlocked state. When locked, it positions itself to prevent actuation even though it is adjacent to the control lever. The adjacent positioning facilitates easy one-handed operation when unlocked, while the dynamic locking mechanism prevents simultaneous inadvertent actuation by requiring deliberate unlocking first.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve for pressurized fluid including a body having a front face and a rear face and housing an internal fluid circuit having an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a user of fluid, the circuit including a collection of valve shutter(s) including at least one shutoff valve shutter allowing the circuit to be closed or opened, the valve including a control lever controlling the collection of valve shutter(s), an end for grasping, the control lever being mounted with the ability to rotate on the valve between a rest position and an active position in which the control lever is away from the body of the valve and actuates the collection of valve shutter(s) into a position in which the circuit is open with a first bore section.