Compressor Relief Valve Cap Design for Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing relief valves for compressors in vehicle air conditioning systems face issues with cap deterioration and increased size, leading to potential damage from high-pressure refrigerant gas and interference with peripheral devices, as well as inefficient assembly due to the need for extra force in mounting elastic members.
Innovation Solution
A relief valve design featuring a cap and cover system where the cap is fixedly mounted on the valve body, with a clearance between the cap and valve body allowing refrigerant gas to flow through a controlled passage, preventing leakage and impingement on peripheral devices, and allowing for a compact structure without compromising strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cap is made of resin material to protect peripheral devices, then the cap can be lightweight and easy to manufacture, but the cap deteriorates and loses strength over time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structure combining resin material and metal material in the cap. The resin portion provides lightweight properties and ease of manufacture, while the metal reinforcement ring provides structural strength and durability. This composite approach resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and strength by integrating materials with complementary properties.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cap size is increased to prevent damage from high-pressure refrigerant gas, then peripheral devices are protected, but the relief valve interferes with other peripheral devices in the engine compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention redirects the high-pressure refrigerant gas flow from a horizontal direction toward peripheral devices to a vertical direction away from them. By changing the flow dimension from horizontal to vertical through the cap's internal structure, the relief valve protects peripheral devices without needing to increase its size, thus avoiding interference with other components in the confined engine compartment.
3Device complexity
If an elastic member is used to mount the cap on the valve body, then the assembly is simplified, but extra force is required for mounting which reduces assembly efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the elastic member from the assembly process entirely. Instead of using an elastic member that requires forceful mounting, the cap is directly fixed to the valve body using a screw. This eliminates the elastic member and its associated mounting complexity, and more importantly, eliminates the need for extra mounting force, thereby improving assembly efficiency and productivity.
4Strength
If the cap is made thick-walled to prevent deterioration, then the strength is increased, but the size of the relief valve increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structure where a thin-walled resin cap is reinforced with a metal reinforcement ring. This allows the cap to maintain high strength without increasing overall thickness or volume. The metal ring provides the necessary structural integrity while the thin resin portion keeps the overall size compact, resolving the contradiction between strength and volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local reinforcement by adding a metal reinforcement ring only at the critical stress areas of the cap. This localized approach provides the necessary strength where needed without increasing the overall thickness or volume of the entire cap structure, thus maintaining a compact size while preventing deterioration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A relief valve for a compressor includes a valve body, a relief port, a cap and a cover. The relief port is formed in the end of the valve body and refrigerant gas is blown out through the relief port if pressure in the compressor is excessively increased. An engaging portion is formed in the cover so as to be engageable with the valve body such that the cover is prevented from moving relative to the valve body. With the cover is mounted on the valve body through the cap, the relief port is covered by the end of the cap, a first clearance is formed between the ends of the cap and the valve body so as to be in communication with the relief port, and a flowing passage for refrigerant gas blown out through the relief valve is formed from the relief port through the first clearance.