Valve-less Bi-directional Gas Sampling Port Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas sampling bags with mechanical valves are prone to leakage, damage, and high costs due to complex designs with many parts, which complicates handling and analysis.
Innovation Solution
A bi-directional, valve-less sampling port system with few components and no moving parts, utilizing a base member, cap, dome seal, and O-ring for airtight sealing, allowing access through a sampling adapter that aligns with a one-way dome aperture for gas insertion and extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical valve is used in the gas sampling bag, then gas flow can be controlled, but the device complexity increases and the risk of leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical valve entirely from the system, extracting the problematic component that caused leakage and complexity. Instead of controlling gas flow through a valve mechanism, the system relies on the natural expansion and contraction of the sampling bag to drive gas flow in and out, eliminating the need for moving parts and complex sealing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The sampling bag itself performs the valve function through its elastic properties. When gas is introduced, the bag expands and naturally pushes gas out through the sampling port; when gas is removed, the bag contracts to draw more gas in. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the need for external valve control while maintaining reliable flow management.
2Ease of manufacture
If a mechanical valve with many parts is used, then gas flow control is achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the mechanical valve and its associated components (seats, springs, actuators, multiple seals), the patent dramatically simplifies the manufacturing process. The sampling port becomes a simple passive opening that requires no assembly of moving parts, reducing both material costs and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sampling port is integrated directly into the sampling bag structure, eliminating the need for separate valve components. The bag material itself forms the sealing surface, and the sampling port is simply an opening in the bag that allows direct access to the gas sample without requiring additional parts.
3Reliability
If a high profile mechanical valve is used, then gas flow control is possible, but the susceptibility to damage during handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
By eliminating the mechanical valve entirely, the patent removes the tall, protruding structure that was vulnerable to impact and damage. The sampling port becomes a low-profile feature integrated into the bag surface, with no moving parts that could break or become misaligned during handling and transport.
4Reliability
If a mechanical valve with moving parts is used, then gas flow control is achieved, but the risk of component breakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes all moving parts from the gas flow control system by eliminating the mechanical valve. Gas flow is controlled passively through the elastic expansion and contraction of the sampling bag, which naturally regulates flow without requiring any moving components that could wear, break, or become misaligned.
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
The valve-less design reduces the risk of leakage, minimizes component breakage, lowers production costs, and provides a low-profile, durable sampling port that is less susceptible to damage during handling and transport, ensuring reliable gas sampling and analysis.
Implementation Method 1
an O-ring between the base and the cap that applies a sealing force to hold the gas sampling bag against the base
Implementation Method 2
a dome seal inside the base and held in place by the cap, wherein the dome seal functions as a one-way check valve to prevent flow out of the gas sampling bag
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing a bi-directional, valve-less sampling port for use with gas sampling bags, wherein the valve-less sampling port has few parts and no moving parts, the sampling port is coupled to a gas sampling bag using a base component that has a portion inside and outside of the gas sampling bag, a cap that is disposed over the base to make an interference fit, an O-ring between the base and the cap that applies a sealing force to hold the gas sampling bag against the base, and a dome seal inside the base and held in place by the cap, wherein the dome seal functions as a one-way check valve to prevent flow out of the gas sampling bag until a sampling adapter is inserted through the cap and the dome seal to provide access to the gas sampling bag for extraction of gas.