Battery Water Replenishment Valve Coupling with Segmented Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery water replenishment systems face challenges with labor-intensive and error-prone installation of quick connect couplings, particularly due to the difficulty in ensuring a leak-free seal, as the force required to engage the O-ring seal is significantly higher than the retainer member, leading to potential misalignment and leakage.
Innovation Solution
A valve coupling system featuring a housing with a gripper and wiper seal, where the conduit is inserted through a gripper via a first force and subsequently through a U-cup wiper seal via a second force that is less than the first, with visual markings on the conduit to indicate proper insertion, reducing assembly errors and leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional O-ring seal with retainer member is used in quick connect couplings, then the connection can be made quickly, but the force required to engage the O-ring seal is significantly higher than the retainer member, leading to installation errors and potential leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented into two distinct components: a retainer member with teeth for mechanical engagement and a separate wiper seal for fluid sealing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the retainer provides easy mechanical engagement while the wiper seal ensures reliable sealing without requiring excessive insertion force
Solution Approach 2:
The wiper seal acts as an intermediary element between the conduit and the internal chamber. Instead of relying solely on a high-force O-ring compression seal, the wiper seal gradually wipes and seals the conduit surface as it passes through, reducing the peak force required for engagement while maintaining seal reliability
2Strength
If barbed fittings with clamping rings are used to connect flexible tubing, then the connection can withstand high water pressure, but the installation process becomes laborious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The complex multi-step installation process of traditional barbed fittings (heating, pushing, clamping) is replaced by extracting only the essential functions: the retainer member provides mechanical retention while the wiper seal provides sealing. This simplified mechanism achieves both strong connections and high installation speed
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanism transitions from relying on thermal softening and mechanical clamping to relying on radial tooth engagement and progressive wiper sealing. This parameter change in the connection mechanism enables both high strength and rapid installation
3Manufacturing precision
If visual markings are added to the conduit, then proper insertion depth can be verified, but the conduit becomes more complex and requires additional manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 1:
Visual markings (color bands or patterns) are applied to the conduit at specific intervals to indicate proper insertion depth. This simple visual indicator system enables installers to quickly verify correct installation without adding mechanical complexity to the conduit itself
Data Source
AI summary
A system for coupling a conduit to a valve is disclosed. The valve includes at least one coupling, wherein the coupling includes an inlet leading to an internal chamber of the valve, a collar positioned within the inlet, a gripper positioned partially within the inlet and in contact with at least a portion of the collar, and a wiper seal positioned within the internal chamber. The system further includes a conduit, wherein the conduit is insertable through the gripper via a first force, and wherein the conduit is subsequently insertable through the wiper seal via a second force that is less than the value of the first force. The conduit may optionally be labeled with a set of visual markings to provide proper cutting angles and to indication proper positioning of the conduit into the valve to effectuate a tight seal.