Laser-Welded Electric Valve Housing for Compact Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric valves are bulky and require increased manufacturing time due to the need for additional parts and complex assembly structures to ensure sealing, which hinders miniaturization and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The electric valve design incorporates a housing with a heat generation portion made of a first material and a heat receiving portion made of a second material, utilizing laser light transmittance differences to facilitate bonding and reduce the need for additional components, such as packings, through a laser welding process that enhances sealing and miniaturization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a packing is disposed between the tube-shaped member and the cover member to ensure sealing, then sealing properties are improved, but manufacturing time increases and housing size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical packing-based sealing system with a laser welding system. The housing main body and cover are bonded together using laser light, eliminating the need for mechanical packings and associated grooves. This substitution of mechanical sealing with optical/thermal bonding resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable sealing without the time-consuming assembly of multiple sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the difference in laser light transmittance parameters between the first material (housing main body) and second material (cover) to enable selective laser welding. By controlling the laser light transmittance parameter, the bonding process achieves effective sealing while minimizing the need for additional sealing components, thereby reducing manufacturing time and housing size.
2Reliability
If a packing is disposed between the tube-shaped member and the cover member to ensure sealing, then sealing properties are improved, but housing size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical packing-based sealing system with a laser welding system. The housing main body and cover are bonded together using laser light, eliminating the need for mechanical packings and associated grooves. This substitution of mechanical sealing with optical/thermal bonding resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable sealing without the time-consuming assembly of multiple sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the difference in laser light transmittance parameters between the first material (housing main body) and second material (cover) to enable selective laser welding. By controlling the laser light transmittance parameter, the bonding process achieves effective sealing while minimizing the need for additional sealing components, thereby reducing manufacturing time and housing size.
3Reliability
If peripheral groove or snap-fit structure is provided for arranging and fixing packing, then sealing properties are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical packing-based sealing system with a laser welding system. The housing main body and cover are bonded together using laser light, eliminating the need for mechanical packings and associated grooves. This substitution of mechanical sealing with optical/thermal bonding resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable sealing without the time-consuming assembly of multiple sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the packing component and its associated peripheral groove from the housing structure. By using laser welding to bond the housing main body and cover directly, the design removes the complex mechanical sealing subsystem, thereby simplifying the overall housing structure while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
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 approach allows for a more compact electric valve with reduced manufacturing hours, achieving both miniaturization and improved sealing performance without the need for additional components, while maintaining high sealing integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a laser light transmittance in the first material is lower than a laser light transmittance in the second material
Implementation Method 2
irradiating, with a laser beam, the heat generation portion from a direction opposite to the heat receiving portion
Implementation Method 3
the heat generation portion and the heat receiving portion are melted and bonded to each other
Implementation Method 4
a heat generation portion formed of a first material, and a heat receiving portion formed of a second material and bonded to the heat generation portion, and a laser light transmittance in the first material is lower than a laser light transmittance in the second material
Data Source
AI summary
An electric valve can be further miniaturized while reducing the number of manufacturing man-hours. The electric valve contains: a motor including a stator member and a rotor member that displace a valve body, and a housing for accommodating the motor. The housing is formed by joining a heat generation portion formed of a first material to a heat receiving portion formed of a second material. The light transmittance in the first material is lower than the light transmittance in the second material.