Fluid Collector with Modular Flange Surfaces for Flexible Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid collectors, such as refrigerant collectors, are inflexible and limited in design, making them unsuitable for different connection situations and purposes, as they require direct wall-to-wall connections and lack the space and surface area for secure, fluid-tight fastening with massive connecting flanges.
Innovation Solution
A fluid collector design featuring a tubular housing with a planar connecting surface that allows for the arrangement and connection of flange elements in various configurations, enabling flexible use without additional fastening, and including features like protruding wings to enhance stability and surface area for secure connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If direct wall-to-wall connection is used for fluid collector, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different connection situations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid collector is divided into modular components: a housing with connecting surfaces and separate flange elements that can be independently positioned and connected. This segmentation allows the same housing to accommodate different flange configurations for various connection situations while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed with multiple connecting surfaces that can serve different functions and connection types. The same housing structure can accommodate various flange elements positioned at different locations, enabling universal application across different connection situations without requiring custom-designed housings for each application.
2Reliability
If massive connecting flanges are used for secure fluid-tight fastening, then connection reliability is improved, but space requirements and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flange elements are integrated directly with the housing structure through forming processes, merging what would traditionally be separate components into a unified structure. This combining maintains the reliability of massive connecting flanges for fluid-tight fastening while reducing overall device complexity by eliminating separate flange components and their associated assembly steps.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flange elements are positioned flexibly on connecting surface, then adaptability to different purposes is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting surfaces are designed with flexible positioning capabilities that allow flange elements to be arranged at different locations depending on the specific application requirements. The forming process accommodates this dynamic positioning flexibility while maintaining sufficient manufacturing precision through process control, enabling adaptability without excessive precision demands.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid collector having a housing having a tubular circumferential wall with a first end face having a first opening and with a second end face having a second opening, which is situated opposite the first opening of the first end face, a first cover being provided, which closes the first opening on the first end face, and a second cover being provided, which closes the second opening on the second end face. The tubular circumferential wall has an area with an, in particular, planar connecting surface, on which at least one flange element is arranged and fastened as a connecting element, at least one bore or one channel being provided in the area having the connecting surface, which fluidically connects the interior of the housing to the at least one connecting element.