Blind-Mate Liquid Cooling Coupling With Misalignment-Tolerant Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid connectors in electronic cooling systems are sensitive to misalignments, leading to mechanical stress, wear, and difficulty in detachment and reconnection due to fixed connections, which can result in damage or leaks.
Innovation Solution
A coupling assembly with a sliding base and inlet valve that allows for axial, radial, and angular movements, featuring a housing with a movable sliding base and an inlet valve that is pivotable, along with spring mechanisms for easy attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed connection between the barb and the port is used, then the connection is secure and fluid-tight, but the assembly is highly sensitive to misalignments and cannot support axial or angular movement
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet valve is designed to be angularly pivotable at the first portion while remaining movable in the axial direction, transforming a static fixed connection into a dynamic structure that accommodates misalignments. This dynamic capability allows the connector to adapt to positional variations without compromising the fluid-tight seal, resolving the contradiction between connection security and movement flexibility.
2Reliability
If a tight connection is made between the tube and the barb, then the connection is secure, but detaching and reconnecting tubes during maintenance is difficult and requires significant force
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into distinct functional components: a housing, a movable sliding base, and a pivotable inlet valve. This segmentation allows the connection to be maintained securely through the valve mechanism while enabling controlled detachment through the sliding base movement, resolving the contradiction between secure connection and ease of detachment.
3Device complexity
If a fixed connection is used, then the structure is simple, but the tube and connection undergo mechanical stress, wear, and ultimately fail
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sliding base and pivotable inlet valve act as intermediary elements between the tube connection and the housing. These intermediaries absorb mechanical stress and accommodate misalignments, preventing stress transmission to the tube and connection points, thereby improving durability without significantly complicating the overall structure.
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 solution provides flexibility in assembly and disassembly, reducing mechanical stress and preventing damage by allowing for easy alignment adjustments and secure connections.
Implementation Method 1
a first spring disposed in the second portion of the internal passage, the first spring is compressible by the inlet valve in the axial direction
Implementation Method 2
a second spring disposed in the housing; and a sliding sleeve disposed in the housing that includes a supporting structure with a first side adjacent to the second spring and a second side adjacent to the wedge structure, wherein the second spring is configured to be compressed by the sliding sleeve in response to the sliding base moving in the radial direction, and the second spring is configured to return the sliding base to a center position when no compression force is applied
Data Source
AI summary
A coupling assembly for a blind mate fluid coupling includes a housing, a sliding base disposed within the housing, the sliding base having an internal passage with a first portion and a second portion connected at a middle opening, the internal passage extend in an axial direction, the second portion has a larger diameter than the first portion, the sliding base being movable in a radial direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction and relative to the housing, and an inlet valve that is at least partially disposed in the internal passage, the inlet valve being movable in the axial direction within the internal passage and angularly pivotable at the first portion.