Battery Housing Valve Assembly with Soft-Hard Latch Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional valve apparatuses for battery housings are bulky due to fastening means, making them unsuitable for compact designs required in battery-powered vehicles, and they lack safety and reliability in operation.
Innovation Solution
A compact valve apparatus with a base body formed from a soft component and a securing element from a hard component, featuring a latch portion that limits radial movement to secure the assembly position, providing a fluid-tight connection without catching means, and utilizing a 2-component injection molding process for a form-fit and material-locking connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fastening means are used in valve apparatus, then connection reliability is improved, but device volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fastening function and sealing function into a single integrated base body structure. The soft component base body simultaneously provides sealing against components and serves as the fastening mechanism through its material properties and geometric design, eliminating the need for separate fastening parts and reducing overall device volume while maintaining connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base body is formed from a soft component that acts as a flexible element. This flexible base body can deform to accommodate assembly tolerances and provide reliable connection without requiring rigid fastening structures, thereby achieving both connection reliability and compact dimensions.
2Reliability
If catching means are included in valve apparatus, then assembly security is improved, but design space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the catching means from the valve apparatus design. Instead of including separate catching elements, the invention relies on the soft component's inherent ability to provide both sealing and securing functions through its material properties and the designed interface geometry, thereby reducing the required design space while maintaining assembly security.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft component base body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides sealing against components, enables fluid-tight connections, and ensures assembly security without requiring separate catching means. This multi-functionality reduces the overall design space requirement while maintaining all necessary performance characteristics.
3Volume of moving object
If soft component base body is used without catching means, then device compactness is improved, but connection strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite material approach by using a soft component with specific material properties that combine sealing capability with sufficient mechanical strength for connection. The soft component's material characteristics enable it to provide both compact integration and reliable connection strength without requiring additional catching structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a valve apparatus, in particular for a battery housing of an electric vehicle, is provided. It includes a base body formed from a soft component and having a first sealing portion for sealing against a first component and a connecting-sealing portion for sealing and connecting to a second component, and wherein the base body bounds a passageway and includes a covering side and a connecting side, a valve element, wherein the valve element is arranged in the region of the passageway of the base body, and a securing element formed from a hard component and having a latch portion, wherein, in a final assembly position, the latch portion is received in the base body so as to limit at least a movement of the connecting-sealing portion of the base body radially inwards in order to thereby secure the final assembly position of the valve apparatus.