Engine Cooling Valve Housing Attachment Strategy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cooling water control valve devices face challenges in preventing leakage of cooling water due to gaps that can form at the boundary between the engine block and engine head, leading to inefficiencies in cooling systems.

Innovation Solution

The cooling water control valve device is designed with a housing that attaches to the engine such that both outlet ports are formed on a common outer wall, ensuring the attachment surface contacts either the engine block or engine head, thereby preventing gaps and leakage, and incorporates a rotatable valve to control fluid communication between inlet and outlet ports.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the cooling water control valve device is attached to the boundary between engine block and engine head, then it can control cooling water flow to both components, but gaps form at the attachment boundary causing cooling water leakage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling water flow control capabilityVSAvoidsealing performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the valve device from the boundary attachment location and relocates it to attach to a single outer wall surface (either engine block or engine head). This removes the device from the problematic boundary area where gaps form, while still enabling it to control cooling water flow to both the engine block and engine head through its inlet and outlet ports.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the housing attachment surface contacts the outer wall of engine block or engine head, then cooling water leakage is prevented, but the device can only attach to one component at a time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidattachment flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The valve device is designed with universal functionality to attach to either the engine block or the engine head outer wall, rather than being dedicated to a specific location. The housing includes a planar attachment surface that can contact either component's outer wall, and the inlet/outlet ports are configured to receive cooling water from both the engine block and engine head regardless of which component the device is attached to.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10914226B2Cooling water control valve device and engine cooling system using the same

Publication Date: 2021.02.09 DENSO CORP

AI summary

A cooling water control valve device includes a housing and a valve. The housing includes a planar attachment surface, a first inlet port, a second inlet port, and at least one outlet port. The first inlet port and the second inlet port are open on the planar attachment surface. The housing is attached to the engine such that the first inlet port and the second inlet port are fluidly connected to a first outlet and a second outlet, respectively, and the planar attachment surface comes into contact with an outer wall of either one of an engine block or an engine head of the engine.