Guided Tank Lid Locking for Clean Compression Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing lids for agricultural machine tanks face issues with accessibility and sealing efficiency due to complex components that break easily and exposure to air pollutants, which hinder full closure and increase maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A closure assembly with a tank lid that pivots and slides using a clevis mechanism and compression seals, supported by guides and a locking system, allowing for easy operation and maintaining a sealed position without damage from pollutants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a second type of lid lifts vertically and slides horizontally away from the tank opening, then full access to the opening is achieved, but the seal is exposed to air pollutants that block complete closure
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is extracted from the lid and placed in a stationary seal housing that remains attached to the tank opening flange. This allows the lid to be completely removed from the opening area without dragging the seal through the污染环境, eliminating pollutant contamination while maintaining full access to the tank opening.
Solution Approach 2:
A seal housing acts as an intermediary structure between the tank opening and the seal. The seal housing provides a protected environment for the seal while allowing the lid to move freely, mediating between the need for seal protection and the need for easy lid operation.
2Ease of operation
If a second type of lid includes complex components for vertical lifting and horizontal sliding, then full access to the opening is achieved, but the complex components break with continued usage
Solution Approach 1:
The complex lifting and sliding components are removed from the lid structure. The lid is simplified to only include the cover and flange, eliminating the problematic mechanisms that caused reliability issues while maintaining operational functionality through the remaining pivot and slide mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the lid perform both lifting and sliding functions through complex mechanisms, the system inverts the approach by using a simple pivot mechanism for the lid and a separate locking system for positioning, reversing the conventional complex mechanism design.
3Reliability
If pollutants become trapped in the seal, then the seal cannot completely close the opening, but cleaning or replacing the seal increases maintenance needs
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is extracted from the moving lid and placed in a stationary seal housing. This extraction prevents pollutants from being trapped between the seal and lid during operation, eliminating the root cause of sealing failures and reducing maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The stationary seal housing design allows the seal to naturally resist pollutant contamination during normal lid operation, providing self-protection against the conditions that would require maintenance intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure assembly includes a tank opening flange that surrounds a tank opening of a supply tank and a tank lid that covers the tank opening. The tank lid is operable between open and closed positions. A compression seal is attached to an underside of the tank lid and is disposed between the tank opening flange and the tank lid when the tank lid is in the closed position. A pair of guides are attached to opposite sides of the tank opening flange wherein each of the pair of guides defines a track opening to receive a plurality of sliding mechanisms attached to the tank lid. The track opening guides the sliding mechanisms and the tank lid around the tank opening flange such that the compression seal does not engage the tank opening flange when the tank lid is operated between the closed and open positions.