Segmented Brake Modulator Cover for Precise Valve Cavity Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake modulators face challenges in ensuring proper alignment and sealing of multiple components, leading to potential leakage and increased manufacturing costs due to complex tolerance chains and the use of expensive materials.
Innovation Solution
The brake modulator features separately formed cover portions for each cavity, allowing for independent assembly and alignment, reducing tolerance interdependencies, and enabling the use of cost-effective plastic materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single integrated main cover is used to close multiple valve cavities, then the device structure is simpler, but alignment precision and sealing reliability deteriorate due to complex tolerance chains
Solution Approach 1:
The main cover is divided into multiple separate cover portions, each corresponding to a specific valve cavity (first supply valve cavity, second supply valve cavity, first exhaust valve cavity, second exhaust valve cavity). Each cover portion is independently formed and assembled, eliminating the complex tolerance chain problem of a single integrated cover while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single integrated main cover is used, then manufacturing steps are reduced, but sealing reliability deteriorates due to difficulty in ensuring proper alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The cover structure is segmented into multiple cover portions that are assembled separately. Each cover portion can be precisely aligned and sealed with its corresponding valve cavity before final assembly, ensuring high sealing reliability while keeping the manufacturing process straightforward.
Solution Approach 2:
The separate cover portions allow for preliminary alignment and sealing operations to be performed on each cavity independently before final assembly of the complete brake modulator. This preliminary action ensures proper sealing is achieved for each valve cavity without compromising the overall assembly process.
3Reliability
If expensive materials are used to ensure proper alignment and sealing, then reliability improves, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cover into multiple separately formed portions, each portion can be manufactured using cost-effective plastic materials through standard molding processes. The segmentation eliminates the need for expensive high-precision machining or special materials that would be required for a single integrated cover to achieve the same alignment and sealing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs cost-effective plastic materials for the cover portions that can be mass-produced through molding. This approach replaces expensive materials or complex manufacturing processes with more economical solutions that achieve the required reliability through the segmented design rather than material properties.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention refers to a brake modulator (1) for providing an ABS brake function to a vehicle (200), comprising a main body (17), a first ABS valve unit (47) configured to provide a first brake pressure (pB1) and a second ABS valve unit (53) configured to provide a second brake pressure (pB2), and a main cover (19) for closing of an assembly side (27) of the main body (17). The brake modulator is characterized in that cover portions (127, 131, 133, 135) for covering corresponding valve cavities (33, 35, 37, 39) are formed separately from a main cover plate (20) of the main cover (19). A relay valve cover plate (137) is formed integrally with or separately from the main cover plate (20). The invention further relates to a commercial vehicle (202) and to an assembly method (300) for a brake modulator (1).