HVAC Fluid Distribution Door Intersecting Surface Configurations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid distribution doors in vehicle HVAC systems face issues with vortex shedding and vibrations due to unsteady fluid pressures, leading to noise and potential structural damage, while existing solutions increase weight and complexity with additional features like ribs, which can cause manufacturing instability.
Innovation Solution
A fluid distribution door with intersecting three-dimensional surface configurations, including undulations, that provide enhanced strength and torque transmission without increasing size or weight, minimizing the need for rib structures and reducing manufacturing issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If additional features such as ribs are added to the fluid distribution door to prevent bending, then structural strength is improved, but weight and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional rib structures to three-dimensional surface configurations with undulations and intersecting patterns. This dimensional change allows the door to achieve enhanced structural strength through geometric complexity rather than additive material, thereby improving strength without proportionally increasing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved undulations and three-dimensional surface configurations instead of flat surfaces. These curved features distribute stress more effectively across the door surface, providing structural strength comparable to or exceeding that of rib structures, but without the associated weight penalty.
2Strength
If additional features such as ribs are added to the fluid distribution door to prevent bending, then structural strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By moving from simple two-dimensional rib additions to integrated three-dimensional surface configurations, the patent achieves structural strength through the door's primary geometry rather than through complex assemblies of additional components. This reduces overall device complexity while maintaining strength.
3Reliability
If the fluid distribution door is made larger to reduce vibration effects, then structural integrity is improved, but the HVAC system noise amplification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The three-dimensional undulating surface configurations alter the way fluid flows over the door, disrupting vortex formation and reducing unsteady forces. This allows the door to maintain structural integrity against vibration without requiring increased size, thereby avoiding noise amplification in the closed HVAC system.
4Force
If the fluid distribution door is made stiffer to transfer torque without bending, then torque transmission is improved, but manufacturing stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves torque transmission through three-dimensional surface configurations that provide structural rigidity through geometric design rather than excessive material thickness. This approach maintains manufacturing stability by avoiding the warping and dimensional instability associated with thick, stiff structures, while still enabling effective torque transfer.
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
The solution effectively attenuates noise, vibrations, and enhances structural integrity while maintaining performance and efficiency, reducing the risk of damage and manufacturing complexities.
Implementation Method 1
Vortex shedding is defined as an unsteady flow of fluid that is caused by fluid movement past a blunt or bluff object (e.g. the fluid distribution door). The flow of the fluid past the fluid distribution door can produce alternating low pressure vortices.
Implementation Method 2
the fluid distribution door tends to move toward a zone of lower pressure, which causes the fluid distribution door to vibrate and flutter
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid distribution door for use in a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system includes a main body having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface and the second surface cooperate to form a first surface configuration which intersects with a second surface configuration. Each of the first surface configuration and the second surface configuration is formed by a three-dimensional feature.