Connecting device capable of automatically adjusting flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material

Abstract

The invention discloses a connecting device capable of automatically adjusting the flow direction based on a temperature-sensitive material. The connecting device comprises an upper shell, a lower shell, a supporting seat, a sleeve, a lower valve element, an upper valve element sealing ring, a lower valve element outer sealing ring, a lower valve element inner sealing ring, a retaining snap spring, a temperature-sensitive elastic piece and a reset spring. The upper shell and the lower shell are fixedly connected through laser welding, the supporting base, the sleeve, the lower valve element, the temperature-sensitive elastic piece and the reset spring are all assembled in a cavity defined by the upper shell and the lower shell, the upper valve element sealing ring is arranged on the upper portion of the sleeve in a sleeving mode, and the lower valve element outer sealing ring and the lower valve element inner sealing ring are arranged on the middle portion and the lower portion of the lower valve element in a sleeving mode respectively. The retaining clamp spring is clamped in a clamping groove in the outer wall of the lower portion of the sleeve and used for limiting axial displacement of the reset spring. The problems that an automobile pipeline thermostat is large in weight, high in cost and poor in sealing and durability are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automotive pipeline connection technology, specifically relating to a connection device based on temperature-sensitive materials to achieve automatic flow direction adjustment. Background Technology

[0002] Chinese invention patent CN221961071U discloses a flow-adjustable liquid-cooled energy storage system, which includes a liquid-cooled unit, liquid-cooled pipelines, and a liquid-cooled plate at the bottom of a battery pack. The liquid-cooled pipelines connect the liquid-cooled unit and the liquid-cooled plate, and include primary, secondary, and tertiary pipelines. It also includes a flow-adjusting device installed between the liquid-cooled unit and the primary pipelines. The flow-adjusting device includes four pipes, each pipe is equipped with a solenoid valve, and adjacent pipes are connected by a tee to form a pipeline interface. Two pipeline interfaces on one side are connected to the pipelines of the liquid-cooled unit, and two pipeline interfaces on the other side are connected to the primary pipelines.

[0003] Currently, automotive piping systems primarily rely on thermostats to switch the flow direction of fluid between different pipe branches. These thermostats adjust flow direction based on the principle of paraffin thermal expansion and contraction, and are mostly made of metal, resulting in significant weight and high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, their sealing and durability performance is inadequate, making it difficult to meet the requirements for long-term stable operation of automotive piping systems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lightweight, low-cost flow direction adjustment connection device with excellent sealing and durability to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a connection device based on temperature-sensitive materials to automatically adjust the flow direction, which can solve the problems of heavy weight, high cost, poor sealing and durability of automotive pipeline thermostats.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, a specific embodiment of the present invention provides the following technical solution: A connection device for automatically adjusting flow direction based on temperature-sensitive materials includes an upper housing, a lower housing, a support base, a sleeve, a lower valve core, an upper valve core sealing ring, a lower valve core outer sealing ring, a lower valve core inner sealing ring, a retaining snap ring, a temperature-sensitive spring, and a return spring. The upper housing and lower housing are fixedly connected by laser welding. The support base, sleeve, lower valve core, temperature-sensitive spring, and return spring are all assembled within the cavity formed by the upper and lower housings. The upper valve core sealing ring is sleeved on the upper part of the sleeve, and the lower valve core outer sealing ring and lower valve core inner sealing ring are respectively sleeved on... Located in the middle and lower part of the lower valve core, a retaining spring is engaged in a groove on the lower outer wall of the sleeve to limit the axial displacement of the return spring; the two ends of the temperature-sensitive spring abut against the lower end face of the support base and the upper end face of the sleeve, respectively; the return spring is sleeved inside the lower sleeve, and its two ends abut against the upper housing and the lower end face inside the sleeve, respectively; the upper housing has a C-end interface, and the lower housing has an A-end interface and a B-end interface. The axial movement of the sleeve and the lower valve core is driven by the change in stiffness of the temperature-sensitive spring, realizing the switching of the flow direction from A-end to B-end and from A-end to C-end.

[0006] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the upper housing, lower housing, support base, sleeve and lower valve core are all manufactured by injection molding.

[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the temperature-sensitive spring is made of a temperature-sensitive material.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the upper valve core sealing ring, the lower valve core outer sealing ring, and the lower valve core inner sealing ring are all made of fluororubber and have an O-shaped cross-section.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the reset spring is formed by winding spring steel wire, and its free length is adapted to the axial movement stroke of the lower valve core.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the lower end of the sleeve is provided with an annular groove that matches the anti-reverse retaining spring. The anti-reverse retaining spring is an open elastic retaining spring, and its inner diameter is interference-fitted with the outer diameter of the groove on the lower end of the sleeve.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the sleeve and the lower valve core are engaged by a retaining snap ring, and the axial movement of the sleeve can synchronously drive the lower valve core to slide axially along the inner wall of the cavity.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the inner wall of the C-end interface of the upper housing is provided with an annular welding groove, and the inner walls of the A-end interface and B-end interface of the lower housing are both provided with annular welding grooves for laser welding and fixing with plastic pipes.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the upper part of the sleeve is provided with an annular groove that matches the upper valve core sealing ring, the upper valve core sealing ring is embedded in the groove, and its outer diameter is in clearance fit with the sealing surface of the inner wall of the upper housing.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a connection device for automatic flow direction adjustment based on temperature-sensitive material. When the device is working, the temperature-sensitive spring has high stiffness at low temperature, which drives the lower valve core to maintain the flow direction from end A to end B. When the temperature of the fluid medium rises to the set value, the stiffness of the temperature-sensitive spring decreases and it is compressed. Through the sleeve, it drives the lower valve core to move and switch to the flow direction from end A to end C. After the temperature drops, the temperature-sensitive spring rebounds, and the reset spring assists in restoring the initial flow direction. The overall structure is compact, requires no additional driving components, and has the characteristics of being lightweight, low-cost, reliable in sealing, and having excellent durability. It is suitable for the multi-branch flow direction adjustment needs of automotive pipeline systems. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a connection device based on a temperature-sensitive material to automatically adjust the flow direction according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on a temperature-sensitive material, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on a temperature-sensitive material, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ; Explanation of key figure labels: 1. Upper housing; 2. Lower housing; 3. Support base; 4. Sleeve; 5. Lower valve core; 6. Upper valve core sealing ring; 7. Lower valve core outer sealing ring; 8. Lower valve core inner sealing ring; 9. Anti-reverse snap ring; 10. Temperature-sensitive spring; 11. Return spring. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0018] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a connection device for automatically adjusting flow direction based on temperature-sensitive materials includes an upper housing 1, a lower housing 2, a support base 3, a sleeve 4, a lower valve core 5, an upper valve core sealing ring 6, a lower valve core outer sealing ring 7, a lower valve core inner sealing ring 8, a retaining spring 9, a temperature-sensitive spring 10, and a return spring 11. The upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are fixedly connected by laser welding. The support base 3, sleeve 4, lower valve core 5, temperature-sensitive spring 10, and return spring 11 are all assembled in the cavity formed by the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. The upper valve core sealing ring 6 is sleeved on the upper part of the sleeve 4, and the lower valve core outer sealing ring 7 and lower valve core inner sealing ring 8 are... Sealing rings 8 are respectively fitted onto the middle and lower part of the lower valve core 5, and anti-reverse spring 9 is engaged in the groove on the lower outer wall of the sleeve 4 to limit the axial displacement of the return spring 11; the two ends of the temperature-sensitive spring 10 abut against the lower end face of the support seat 3 and the upper end face of the sleeve 4 respectively, and the return spring 11 is fitted inside the lower sleeve 4, with its two ends abutting against the lower end face of the upper housing 1 and the inner side of the sleeve 4 respectively; the upper housing 1 is provided with a C-end interface, and the lower housing 2 is provided with an A-end interface and a B-end interface. The axial movement of the sleeve 4 and the lower valve core 5 is driven by the change in stiffness of the temperature-sensitive spring 10, realizing the switching of the flow direction from A-end to B-end and from A-end to C-end.

[0019] In this embodiment, the automatic switching of fluid flow direction is achieved through the coordinated cooperation of multiple parts and the temperature response characteristics of the temperature-sensitive spring 10, without the need for additional driving components. The structure is compact and the response is timely. The upper shell 1 and the lower shell 2 are fixed by laser welding, which ensures the sealing of the cavity. The reasonable arrangement of each sealing ring further improves the sealing effect and effectively avoids fluid leakage. The multi-interface design can realize the connection of three independent pipelines, which can adapt to the flow direction adjustment needs of multiple branches such as automotive pipelines, and has strong versatility.

[0020] The upper housing 1, lower housing 2, support base 3, sleeve 4, and lower valve core 5 are all made by injection molding.

[0021] In this embodiment, the injection molding process can precisely control the dimensional accuracy of parts, ensure the compatibility of each part assembly, and reduce the sealing risks caused by assembly gaps. Compared with traditional metal materials, injection-molded plastic parts significantly reduce the overall weight of the device, achieving lightweight design and meeting the weight reduction needs of the automotive industry. The injection molding process has high production efficiency and low cost, and can be mass-produced to reduce manufacturing costs. At the same time, the plastic material has strong corrosion resistance, extending the service life of the device.

[0022] The temperature-sensitive spring 10 is made of temperature-sensitive material.

[0023] In this embodiment, the shape memory alloy temperature-sensitive spring 10 has excellent temperature response characteristics, and its stiffness changes steadily with temperature, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of flow direction switching; the material has good elastic recovery performance and can maintain its original performance after multiple temperature cycles, improving the durability of the device; compared with the traditional paraffin drive structure, the response speed is faster, and it can adapt to the temperature changes of the fluid medium in a timely manner to achieve rapid flow direction switching.

[0024] The upper valve core sealing ring 6, the lower valve core outer sealing ring 7, and the lower valve core inner sealing ring 8 are all made of fluororubber, and their cross-sectional shape is O-shaped.

[0025] In this embodiment, the fluororubber material has excellent temperature resistance, oil resistance and aging resistance, and can adapt to the fluid medium environment under complex working conditions such as automotive pipelines, avoiding the failure of the sealing ring due to high temperature and corrosion; the O-ring cross-section design has good elastic compensation ability, which can automatically adapt to the gap of the sealing surface during assembly and use, improve sealing reliability, effectively block fluid leakage, and ensure the accuracy of flow direction switching. At the same time, the O-ring sealing ring has a simple structure and is easy to replace, reducing maintenance costs.

[0026] The reset spring 11 is formed by winding spring steel wire, and its free length is adapted to the axial movement stroke of the lower valve core 5.

[0027] In this embodiment, the spring steel wire has high strength and good elasticity, and the wound reset spring 11 can provide a stable reset force to ensure that the lower valve core 5 returns to its initial position quickly and accurately when the temperature drops. The free length is adapted to the axial movement stroke of the lower valve core 5 to avoid the spring being too short to fully reset or too long to cause excessive preload that affects the flow direction switching sensitivity, thus ensuring the consistency and reliability of the reset action of the device in high and low temperature cycles and extending the service life of the spring.

[0028] The lower end of the sleeve 4 has an annular groove on its outer wall that matches the anti-reverse retaining spring 9. The anti-reverse retaining spring 9 is an open elastic retaining spring, and its inner diameter is interference-fitted with the outer diameter of the groove on the lower end of the sleeve 4.

[0029] In this embodiment, the design of the annular groove and the open elastic spring makes the anti-reverse spring 9 easy to assemble and firmly fixed. The interference fit can effectively prevent the anti-reverse spring 9 from loosening or falling off during the operation of the device. The anti-reverse spring 9 can accurately limit the axial displacement of the reset spring 11, avoid the spring from deflecting and causing the lower valve core 5 to jam, ensure the stability of the movement trajectory of each part, and thus improve the overall reliability of the device. At the same time, the open structure facilitates disassembly and maintenance.

[0030] The sleeve 4 and the lower valve core 5 are interference fit. The axial movement of the sleeve 4 can synchronously drive the lower valve core 5 to slide axially along the inner wall of the cavity.

[0031] In this embodiment, the interference fit ensures that the sleeve 4 and the lower valve core 5 are tightly connected without relative displacement, so that the force of the temperature-sensitive spring 10 can be fully transmitted to the lower valve core 5, realizing synchronous axial movement of the two, ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of flow direction switching; avoiding power transmission loss or jamming due to loose connection, improving the stability of device operation, simplifying the assembly process, reducing assembly errors, and reducing the defect rate in the production process.

[0032] The inner wall of the C-end interface of the upper shell 1 is provided with an annular welding groove, and the inner walls of the A-end and B-end interfaces of the lower shell 2 are also provided with annular welding grooves for laser welding and fixing with plastic pipes.

[0033] In this embodiment, the annular welding groove provides precise positioning for laser welding, ensuring a tight fit and uniform weld when the interface is welded to the plastic pipe, significantly improving welding strength and sealing performance, and effectively preventing fluid leakage at the interface. The laser welding method has a small heat-affected zone, which will not damage the surrounding structure of the interface, ensuring stable performance of the parts. At the same time, the welding efficiency is high and the consistency is good, which is suitable for mass production needs. Moreover, the interface structure after welding is compact and does not affect the overall layout of the device.

[0034] The upper part of the sleeve 4 is provided with an annular groove that matches the upper valve core sealing ring 6. The upper valve core sealing ring 6 is embedded in the groove, and its outer diameter is in clearance fit with the sealing surface of the inner wall of the upper housing 1.

[0035] In this embodiment, the annular groove can limit and fix the valve core sealing ring 6, preventing the sealing ring from shifting or falling off during device operation, and ensuring stable sealing effect; the clearance fit between the outer diameter and the sealing surface of the inner wall of the upper housing 1 improves the flexibility and smoothness of flow direction switching, avoids jamming due to excessive friction, extends the wear life of the sealing ring and the sealing surface of the inner wall of the upper housing 1, and improves the overall durability of the device.

[0036] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within this disclosure. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0037] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive materials, characterized in that, The system includes an upper housing (1), a lower housing (2), a support base (3), a sleeve (4), a lower valve core (5), an upper valve core sealing ring (6), a lower valve core outer sealing ring (7), a lower valve core inner sealing ring (8), a retaining snap ring (9), a temperature-sensitive spring (10), and a return spring (11). The upper housing (1) and the lower housing (2) are fixedly connected by laser welding. The support base (3), sleeve (4), lower valve core (5), temperature-sensitive spring (10), and return spring (11) are all assembled in the cavity formed by the upper housing (1) and the lower housing (2). The upper valve core sealing ring (6) is sleeved on the upper part of the sleeve (4). The lower valve core outer sealing ring (7) and the lower valve core inner sealing ring (8) are respectively sleeved on the middle and lower parts of the lower valve core (5). The retaining snap ring (9) is snapped into the groove on the lower outer wall of the sleeve (4) to limit the axial displacement of the return spring (11). The two ends of the temperature-sensitive spring (10) abut against the lower end face of the support base (3) and the upper end face of the sleeve (4) respectively. The reset spring (11) is sleeved inside the lower sleeve (4), and its two ends abut against the lower end face inside the upper housing (1) and the sleeve (4) respectively. The upper housing (1) is provided with a C-end interface, and the lower housing (2) is provided with an A-end interface and a B-end interface. The stiffness change of the temperature-sensitive spring (10) drives the sleeve (4) and the lower valve core (5) to move axially, thereby realizing the flow direction switching from A-end to B-end and from A-end to C-end.

2. The connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper housing (1), lower housing (2), support base (3), sleeve (4) and lower valve core (5) are all made by injection molding.

3. The connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 2, characterized in that, The temperature-sensitive spring (10) is made of temperature-sensitive material.

4. The connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper valve core sealing ring (6), the lower valve core outer sealing ring (7), and the lower valve core inner sealing ring (8) are all made of rubber, and their cross-sectional shape is O-shaped.

5. The connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 4, characterized in that, The reset spring (11) is formed by winding spring steel wire, and its free length is adapted to the axial movement stroke of the lower valve core (5).

6. The connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lower end of the sleeve (4) has an annular groove on its outer wall that matches the anti-reverse retaining spring (9). The anti-reverse retaining spring (9) is an open elastic retaining spring, and its inner diameter is interference-fitted with the outer diameter of the groove on the lower end of the sleeve (4).

7. A connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on a temperature-sensitive material according to claim 6, characterized in that, The sleeve (4) and the lower valve core (5) are engaged by a retaining snap ring (9). The axial movement of the sleeve (4) can synchronously drive the lower valve core (5) to slide axially along the inner wall of the cavity.

8. A connection device for automatically adjusting flow direction based on temperature-sensitive material according to claim 7, characterized in that, The inner wall of the C-end interface of the upper shell (1) is provided with an annular welding groove, and the inner walls of the A-end interface and B-end interface of the lower shell (2) are also provided with annular welding grooves for laser welding and fixing with plastic pipes.

9. A connection device for automatically adjusting the flow direction based on a temperature-sensitive material according to claim 8, characterized in that, The upper part of the sleeve (4) is provided with an annular groove that matches the upper valve core sealing ring (6). The upper valve core sealing ring (6) is embedded in the groove, and its outer diameter is in clearance fit with the sealing surface of the inner wall of the upper housing (1).

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