Air tightness detector with valve terminal structure

Abstract

The invention discloses an air tightness detector with a valve terminal structure, which comprises a shell, and is characterized in that a pressure reducing valve with a filter is arranged in the shell, the pressure reducing valve is connected with an electric proportional valve through a pipeline, the electric proportional valve is connected with a valve terminal assembly through a pipeline, the valve terminal assembly comprises a valve seat fixedly connected in the shell, and the valve seat is connected with the valve terminal assembly through a pipeline. An air inlet two-position two-way valve, a high-pressure two-position two-way valve, a low-pressure two-position two-way valve and an exhaust two-position two-way valve are integrated on the valve seat, the air inlet two-position two-way valve is communicated with the electric proportional valve through a pipeline, the high-pressure two-position two-way valve is connected with the high-pressure detection connector through a pipeline, the low-pressure two-position two-way valve is connected with the low-pressure detection connector through a pipeline, and the exhaust two-position two-way valve is connected with the low-pressure detection connector through a pipeline. The exhaust two-position two-way valve is connected with the exhaust connector through a pipeline, and the high-pressure detection connector, the low-pressure detection connector and the exhaust connector are all arranged on the surface of the shell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of airtightness monitoring equipment, and in particular to an airtightness detector with a valve island structure. Background Technology

[0002] As a core power component of new energy vehicles, the airtightness of the battery pack directly affects the vehicle's operational safety. If the battery pack has sealing defects, external moisture, dust, and other impurities can easily penetrate the interior, leading to short circuits, aging, and other malfunctions in the cells, and even causing safety accidents such as fires and explosions. Therefore, airtightness testing is a very important testing item in the production and after-sales processes of battery packs.

[0003] Air tightness testers are key equipment in industrial production to ensure the sealing performance of products. Their core principle is to inject gas at a specific pressure into the sealed workpiece and monitor pressure changes to determine the presence of leaks. Currently, most mainstream air tightness testing equipment on the market uses decentralized solenoid valve groups to control the gas path, which has the following technical drawbacks: First, the gas path layout is decentralized and the pipeline connections are complex, not only occupying a large installation space but also easily leading to additional leakage points due to too many pipeline interfaces, affecting testing accuracy; second, the solenoid valve groups are difficult to debug and maintain, with each solenoid valve controlled independently, resulting in poor coordination and difficulty in achieving multi-channel synchronous testing, leading to low testing efficiency; third, the equipment lacks scalability, requiring a redesign of the gas path and replacement of multiple solenoid valves when adapting to different types of workpieces, increasing equipment modification costs and time costs; fourth, traditional equipment often only achieves a single testing mode, requiring companies to purchase multiple models of equipment according to different testing needs, further increasing production investment.

[0004] Therefore, a method or apparatus is needed to solve the above problems.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, integrated and modular pneumatic control structures have become an industry trend. Valve islands, as modular control units integrating multiple solenoid valves, enable centralized management of the pneumatic path. However, existing testing equipment using valve islands still suffers from insufficient precision in valve group coordinated control, inflexible switching of testing modes, and weak resistance to environmental interference, making it difficult to meet the demands of high-precision, multi-scenario testing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a pneumatic tightness tester with an optimized structure, precise control, and strong adaptability, featuring an internal valve island structure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention addresses the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies by proposing an airtightness testing instrument with a valve island structure that is simple in structure, ingenious in design, reasonable in layout, compact in size, precise in control, and highly adaptable.

[0007] The technical solution of this invention is: an airtightness tester with a valve island structure, comprising a housing 1, characterized in that: a pressure reducing valve 2 with a filter is disposed inside the housing 1, the pressure reducing valve 2 is connected to an electro-proportional valve 3 via a pipeline, and the electro-proportional valve 3 is connected to a valve island assembly 4 via a pipeline. The valve island assembly 4 includes a valve seat 5 fixedly connected within the housing 1. The valve seat 5 integrates an intake 2-position 2-way valve 6, a high-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 8, a low-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 7, and an exhaust 2-position 2-way valve 9. The intake 2-position 2-way valve 6 is connected to an electro-proportional valve 3 via a pipeline. The high-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 8 is connected to a high-pressure detection connector 10 via a pipeline. The low-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 7 is connected to a low-pressure detection connector 11 via a pipeline. The exhaust 2-position 2-way valve 9 is connected to an exhaust connector 12 via a pipeline. The high-pressure detection connector 10, the low-pressure detection connector 11, and the exhaust connector 12 are all located on the surface of the housing 1. A control module 13 and a power module 14 are also provided inside the housing 1, and a display screen 15 is provided on the surface of the housing 1. The control module 13 provides unified control over the electro-proportional valve 3 and the valve island assembly 4. The control module 13 is also electrically connected to the display screen 15. The power module 14 provides power to the electro-proportional valve 3, valve island assembly 4, control module 13 and display screen 15.

[0008] A pressure sensor 16 is installed on the valve island assembly 4.

[0009] A muffler is installed at the exhaust connector 12.

[0010] The display screen 15 is a touch screen.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: This type of airtightness tester with a valve island structure is simple in structure, ingeniously designed, and rationally laid out. It integrates a valve island component, replacing the traditional structure of multiple distributed electronic valves. This integrated approach allows multiple valves to control the air path, reducing piping and interfaces, lowering the risk of leakage, and effectively controlling the overall size of the equipment, thus improving its compactness. Furthermore, this structure supports multi-channel parallel detection. Combined with a high-precision pressure sensor on the valve island, it can detect leakage rates as low as 1 Pa, further improving detection accuracy. Moreover, through the coordinated control of electro-proportional valves and solenoid valves, it can also achieve single-channel direct pressure acquisition, adapting to the testing needs of different types of workpieces. The valve island structure also facilitates the addition of new testing channels, reducing the cost and difficulty of equipment modification. In addition, this airtightness tester has a simple manufacturing process and low production cost. Therefore, it possesses many advantages and is particularly suitable for widespread application in this field, with a very broad market prospect. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention (with the top cover removed).

[0013] Figure 2 This is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a gas path composition diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 3 As shown: An airtightness tester with a valve island structure includes a housing 1 as a base. A pressure reducing valve 2 with a filter is disposed within the housing 1. The pressure reducing valve 2 is connected to an electro-proportional valve 3 via a pipeline. The electro-proportional valve 3 is connected to a valve island assembly 4 via a pipeline. The valve island assembly 4 includes a valve seat 5 fixedly connected within the housing 1. The valve seat 5 integrates an intake 2-position 2-way valve 6, a high-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 8, a low-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 7, and an exhaust 2-position 2-way valve 9. The intake 2-position 2-way valve 6 is connected to an electro-proportional valve 3 via a pipeline. The high-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 8 is connected to a high-pressure detection connector 10 via a pipeline. The low-pressure 2-position 2-way valve 7 is connected to a low-pressure detection connector 11 via a pipeline. The exhaust 2-position 2-way valve 9 is connected to an exhaust connector 12 via a pipeline. The high-pressure detection connector 10, the low-pressure detection connector 11, and the exhaust connector 12 are all located on the surface of the housing 1. A control module 13 and a power module 14 are also provided inside the housing 1, and a display screen 15 is provided on the surface of the housing 1. The control module 13 provides unified control over the electro-proportional valve 3 and the valve island assembly 4. The control module 13 is also electrically connected to the display screen 15. The power module 14 provides power to the electro-proportional valve 3, valve island assembly 4, control module 13 and display screen 15.

[0016] A pressure sensor 16 is installed on the valve island assembly 4.

[0017] A muffler is installed at the exhaust connector 12.

[0018] The display screen 15 is a touch screen.

[0019] The working process of the airtightness tester with valve island structure in this embodiment of the invention is as follows: The airtightness tester in this invention realizes the airtightness test of the battery pack based on the pressure decay method or the direct pressure method. The control module 13 controls the coordinated action of each actuator to complete the closed-loop process of "filling-stabilizing-testing-venting". The specific steps are as follows: 1. Preparation Phase The operator connects the workpiece to be tested to the testing instrument, selects the high-pressure testing connector 10 or the low-pressure testing connector 11 as needed, and connects the air source to the pressure reducing valve 2 of the device. The operator sets various parameters through the touch screen 15. In this embodiment, the workpiece to be tested is connected to the high-pressure testing connector 10 through a pipeline. The test pressure is 10 kPa, the inflation time is 120 seconds, the pressure stabilization time is 60 seconds, the testing time is 20 seconds, and the leakage threshold is ≤50 Pa. After the settings are completed, turn on the air source. Pressurized air enters the device through the pressure reducing valve 2. During this process, the filter installed on the pressure reducing valve 2 will purify the compressed air. At the same time, the control module 13 will issue a command according to the set parameters to control the electric proportional valve 3 to adjust the output air pressure to 10 kPa, in preparation for the detection work.

[0020] inflation stage The control module 13 sends a signal to the valve island assembly 4, opening the high-pressure two-position two-way valve 8 and the intake two-position two-way valve 6, which is connected to the outlet of the electro-proportional valve 3. Compressed air enters the inner cavity of the valve island assembly 4, and then passes through the high-pressure two-position two-way valve 8 and the high-pressure detection connector 10 into the sealed cavity of the workpiece under test. During the above process, the pressure sensor 16 collects the pressure data inside the valve island assembly 4 in real time and feeds it back to the control module. When the pressure data reaches the preset value of 10 kPa, the control module 13 sends a signal to close the intake two-position two-way valve 6, ending the inflation phase.

[0021] 3. Voltage Stabilization Phase After the intake two-way two-position valve 6 is closed, the detector enters the pressure stabilization stage. At this time, each valve in the valve island assembly 4 remains in its current state to prevent the gas in the inner cavity from flowing back. The control module 13 then monitors the pressure value in the inner cavity of the valve island assembly 4 in real time through the pressure sensor 16. After the pressure stabilization time reaches the preset time (60 s), it enters the detection stage.

[0022] 4. Detection stage The pressure sensor 16 continuously collects the pressure data in the cavity and transmits the pressure data to the control module 13. The algorithms and programs built into the control module 13 automatically calculate the pressure decay and leakage amounts within the 20 s detection time, and compare the calculated results with the preset leakage threshold (≤50 Pa). If the pressure decay is less than or equal to the leakage threshold, it is determined that the airtightness of the measured workpiece is qualified; otherwise, it is determined to be unqualified. The detection result will be directly displayed on the display screen 15.

[0023] 5. Exhaust stage After the detection is completed, the control module 13 sends a signal to the valve island assembly 4, and the valves in the valve island assembly 4 act to switch to the exhaust state. In the exhaust state, the exhaust two-way two-position valve 9 is opened, and the intake two-way two-position valve 6 and the low-pressure two-way two-position valve 7 are closed. That is, the inner cavity of the measured workpiece is connected to the atmosphere through the valve island assembly 4 and the exhaust joint 12. Since the air pressure in the inner cavity of the measured workpiece is relatively high, the gas therein is directly discharged to the atmosphere through the exhaust joint 12 until it returns to the state of equilibrium with the atmospheric pressure.

[0024] After the exhaust operation is completed, a prompt message appears on the display screen 15, and the staff can then determine that a complete airtightness detection operation has been completed.

Claims

1. An airtightness tester with a valve island structure, comprising a housing (1), characterized in that: The housing (1) is equipped with a pressure reducing valve (2) with a filter. The pressure reducing valve (2) is connected to an electro-proportional valve (3) through a pipeline. The electro-proportional valve (3) is connected to a valve island assembly (4) through a pipeline. The valve island assembly (4) includes a valve seat (5) fixedly connected inside the housing (1). An intake two-position two-way valve (6), a high-pressure two-position two-way valve (8), a low-pressure two-position two-way valve (7), and an exhaust two-position two-way valve (9) are integrated on the valve seat (5). The intake two-position two-way valve (6) is connected to an electro-proportional valve (3) via a pipeline. The high-pressure two-position two-way valve (8) is connected to a high-pressure detection connector (10) via a pipeline. The low-pressure two-position two-way valve (7) is connected to a low-pressure detection connector (11) via a pipeline. The exhaust two-position two-way valve (9) is connected to an exhaust connector (12) via a pipeline. The high-pressure detection connector (10), low-pressure detection connector (11), and exhaust connector (12) are all located on the surface of the housing (1). A control module (13) and a power module (14) are also provided inside the housing (1), and a display screen (15) is provided on the surface of the housing (1). The control module (13) provides unified control over the electro-proportional valve (3) and the valve island assembly (4). The control module (13) is also electrically connected to the display screen (15). The power module (14) provides power to the electric proportional valve (3), valve island assembly (4), control module (13) and display screen (15).

2. The airtightness tester with a valve island structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure sensor (16) is provided on the valve island assembly (4).

3. The airtightness tester with a valve island structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A muffler is provided at the exhaust connector (12).

4. The airtightness tester with a valve island structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display screen (15) is a touch screen.

Images