W-Shaped Sprinkler Spring Prevents Valve Lodgement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of sprinkler heads with springs is challenging due to the need to avoid impacting heat-sensitive disassembling units, and existing designs face issues with lodgement during activation, making it difficult to prevent components from being caught by the deflector.
Innovation Solution
A sprinkler head design featuring a W-shaped spring with ends anchored to frames, where the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is fitted in the bent portion, allowing the spring to move deviating from the nozzle axis, preventing lodgement and simplifying assembly by widening the gap for easy fitting and retention of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a V-shaped spring is used to prevent lodgement by urging the valve toward a side deviated from the direction of water flow, then lodgement is prevented, but the assembly process becomes difficult because the valve cannot be easily set in the nozzle
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is divided into multiple bending portions (first, second, third bent portions) that can independently deform during assembly. This segmentation allows the spring to be compressed and expanded in a controlled manner, enabling easy assembly while maintaining the valve positioning function that prevents lodgement
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is designed to dynamically change its shape during assembly - it can be compressed to fit the valve in place, then naturally expand to urge the valve toward the deviated position. This dynamic behavior allows the same component to facilitate assembly and then perform its lodgement-prevention function
2Ease of manufacture
If the spring is fitted before the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is set in the body, then the spring can be easily installed, but the delicate heat-sensitive disassembling unit is at risk of being impacted during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is pre-installed in the body before the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is set. The spring is designed to be in a compressed or flexible state during this preliminary installation, allowing it to be fitted without impacting the heat-sensitive unit. After the heat-sensitive unit is safely in place, the spring is released to perform its urging function
3Reliability
If the spring is fitted after the valve and heat-sensitive disassembling unit are set in the body, then the heat-sensitive unit is protected during assembly, but delicate work is required to pass the spring ends through gaps without impacting the heat-sensitive unit
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fitting the spring after the valve and heat-sensitive unit (which would protect the unit but require delicate work), the invention inverts the sequence by fitting the spring first. The spring is designed with specific geometric features (bending portions) that allow it to be installed in a compressed state, then expanded to perform its function, thereby simplifying assembly while maintaining protection
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 design effectively prevents lodgement during activation and simplifies the assembly process by ensuring the heat-sensitive disassembling unit is securely positioned, reducing the risk of components being caught by the deflector and making the assembly more manageable.
Implementation Method 1
the spring is pinched at the two ends and is deformed such that the two ends move toward each other while the valve is held in the middle part of the spring
Data Source
AI summary
A sprinkler head includes a body having a nozzle to be connected to a water supply pipe, the nozzle being provided inside the body; a valve that closes the nozzle in normal times; a pair of frames extending from the body in a direction of water discharge from the nozzle; a deflector provided at a distal end of a part where distal ends of the frames are coupled to each other on a center axis A of the nozzle; and a heat sensitive disassembling unit provided between the valve and the deflector. A spring that is bent in a W shape has two ends engaged with the pair of frames, and the heat sensitive disassembling unit is fitted in a bent portion provided between the two ends and of the spring.