Vehicle Cooling Opening Cover With Elastic Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air cooling systems for motor vehicles do not efficiently manage cooling on demand, leading to increased energy consumption and flow resistance, as they lack effective mechanisms to utilize travel-induced airflow for cooling motor vehicle components.
Innovation Solution
An air cooling system featuring a frame with a cover and an elastically deformable connecting element that bridges a separating gap, allowing the cover to move between closed and open positions with minimal energy input, directing travel-induced airflow into the vehicle for efficient cooling of components like engines and batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the cover is kept in the open position to cool motor vehicle components, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the flow resistance and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed to be movable between open and closed positions, allowing the system to dynamically adjust the cooling opening area based on thermal requirements. This dynamic configuration enables the system to optimize between cooling efficiency and aerodynamic performance, opening when cooling is needed and closing when it is not, thereby reducing energy consumption during non-cooling periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover can be positioned at different angles relative to the opening plane (fully retracted, partially retracted, or fully extended), changing the effective cooling opening area. This parameter adjustment allows the system to modulate the cooling effect and flow resistance continuously, optimizing the balance between cooling efficiency and energy consumption based on real-time thermal demands.
2Temperature
If the cover is moved out from the opening plane to open the cooling opening, then the cooling capability is improved, but the flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover's movable design allows it to transition between different positions (retracted into the opening plane or extended outward), dynamically adjusting the cooling opening area. When cooled, the cover retracts to minimize flow resistance; when cooling is needed, it extends to increase the opening, thus dynamically balancing cooling capability and flow resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is moved not only in terms of opening area but also in spatial position relative to the opening plane. By retracting the cover into the opening plane or extending it outward, the system utilizes the third dimension (depth/spatial positioning) to control flow resistance while maintaining cooling capability, adding a spatial dimension to the flow control mechanism.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid connecting element is used to connect the frame and cover, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to bridge the separating gap and enable elastic deformation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is designed with flexible or elastically deformable characteristics, allowing it to bend or deform elastically as the cover moves between positions. This flexibility enables the connecting element to bridge the separating gap between the frame and cover while accommodating the cover's movement, maintaining both structural integrity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element acts as an intermediary between the rigid frame and the movable cover, providing a flexible connection that allows relative movement. This intermediary component bridges the gap between the stationary frame and the moving cover, enabling elastic deformation to occur while maintaining overall structural stability.
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
This solution enables on-demand, energy-efficient cooling of motor vehicle components by minimizing flow resistance and energy consumption, while maintaining low energy input for opening and closing the cooling opening, thus optimizing aerodynamics and component efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the cover can be moved between the closed position and an open position, in which the cover is at least partially moved out from an opening plane of the cooling opening delimited by the frame via an elastic deformation of the connecting element
Data Source
AI summary
An air-cooling device for cooling motor vehicle components by travel-induced airflow. The device includes a frame delimiting a cooling opening, a cover, which can be inserted into the cooling opening via a separating gap and which is at a distance from the frame for closing a majority of the cooling opening in a closed position. At least one connecting element is connected to the frame and to the cover for bridging the separating gap. The cover can be moved between the closed and open positions, in which the cover is at least partially moved out from an opening plane of the cooling opening delimited by the frame via an elastic deformation of the connecting element. An on-demand and energy-efficient cooling of motor vehicle components is enabled by the elastically deformable connecting element, which is connected to the frame and to the cover and can also cover the separating gap.