Humidifier Housing with Adjustable Joint Clearances

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing humidifier designs face challenges in achieving high positional accuracy for joints without incurring additional machining costs, particularly when large-scale components like the housing are manufactured through integral molding of resin.

Innovation Solution

The humidifier incorporates a cylindrical housing with adjustable clearances at the connections between the housing and heads, as well as between the heads and joints, allowing for precise positioning of the joints without the need for additional machining, using fastening members and packings to ensure accurate assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the housing is manufactured by integral molding of resin, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but positional accuracy of joints deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidpositional accuracy of joints

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into a molded housing body and separate joint components. The joints are designed as independent parts that can be assembled to the housing, allowing each component to be manufactured by optimal methods (molding for housing, precision machining or assembly for joints) without requiring the entire housing to undergo expensive post-molding machining.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Joining structures such as flanges, bolts, or coupling mechanisms are introduced as intermediary elements between the molded housing and the pipe connections. These intermediaries absorb the positioning tolerance of the molded housing while providing precise alignment surfaces for the actual pipe connections, thereby decoupling the molding precision requirements from the final joint accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If additional machining is performed after molding, then positional accuracy of joints is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositional accuracy of jointsVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Positioning features, alignment pins, or pre-drilled holes are incorporated into the molded housing design at the time of molding. This preliminary preparation enables subsequent precise assembly of joints without requiring extensive post-molding machining operations, thereby achieving high positional accuracy while minimizing additional manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If clearances are provided for adjusting connecting positions, then ease of assembly is improved, but manufacturing precision of connections deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of assemblyVSAvoidprecision of connections

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The connection system incorporates adjustable clearances and positioning mechanisms that allow the joints to be dynamically positioned during assembly. The clearances enable accommodation of molding tolerances and facilitate easy alignment, while indexing features, slots, or adjustable fasteners maintain the final connection precision within acceptable ranges after positioning is complete.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11349137B2Humidifier

Publication Date: 2022.05.31 HONDA MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

In a humidifier in which an inlet head and an outlet head are connected to one end and another end of a cylindrical housing of a humidifying module, a humidified-fluid inlet joint is connected to the inlet head via a first joint connection, and a fluid-to-be-humidified outlet joint is connected to the outlet head via a second joint connection, clearances that are capable of adjusting connecting positions in directions of the connecting surfaces are provided on the joint connections as well as on connections between the housing and the inlet head and the outlet head.