Hydraulic Device Decoupled Filler Insert Volume Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional hydraulic components in work vehicles have internal passages that are not needed for hydraulic fluid flow, leading to increased internal volume, air accumulation, and inconsistent hydraulic circuit performance, which affects the rapid and accurate power output required in applications like construction and mining.

Innovation Solution

A hydraulic device with a filler insert is introduced, which occupies the internal volume of access passages within the hydraulic circuit, reducing the hydraulic fluid volume and flow requirements, and is decoupled from the inner wall surface to allow hydraulic fluid to encircle it, thereby minimizing air presence and improving responsiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional machining operations (drilling and boring) are used to create internal passages, then the passages can be manufactured, but superfluous legacy ports and passages remain that increase internal volume and impact performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturability of internal passagesVSAvoidinternal volume of hydraulic circuit

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the harmful superfluous passages from the hydraulic circuit by using a filler insert that occupies only the necessary access passage volume while leaving the functional hydraulic passages intact. This selective removal approach eliminates the legacy ports and passages created by conventional machining that were causing excessive internal volume and performance issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The filler insert is placed locally within the access passage rather than throughout the entire hydraulic circuit. This localized approach reduces internal volume specifically in the non-functional access passage area while maintaining the integrity and functionality of the essential hydraulic fluid passages, thereby achieving volume reduction without compromising manufacturability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If superfluous passages are present in the hydraulic circuit, then manufacturing is simplified, but air accumulation occurs leading to inconsistent hydraulic performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of internal passage creationVSAvoidconsistency of hydraulic circuit performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the air accumulation problem by filling the access passage with a filler insert, thereby eliminating the trapped air pockets that form in superfluous passages. This removal of air-prone volumes directly improves hydraulic performance consistency while preserving the manufacturing simplicity of using conventional drilling and boring operations to create the passages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the harmful effect of superfluous passages (air accumulation and inconsistent performance) into a benefit by using the same passages as installation routes for the filler insert. The access passages that originally caused problems are now utilized to deliver the solution, transforming the manufacturing advantage into a performance improvement mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Reliability

If the filler insert is decoupled from the inner wall surface with annular space, then hydraulic fluid can encircle the shank, but the insert occupies more volume than necessary

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponsiveness of hydraulic systemVSAvoidvolume occupied by filler insert

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The filler insert is designed with a decoupled configuration where the shank does not fully contact the inner wall surface, creating an annular space. This partial contact approach provides sufficient volume reduction and air elimination to achieve the necessary hydraulic responsiveness without requiring complete wall contact, thereby avoiding excessive volume occupation while maintaining system reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11365803B2Hydraulic device with decoupled filler insert for hydraulic circuit volume reduction

Publication Date: 2022.06.21 DEERE & CO

AI summary

A hydraulic device for a work vehicle includes a device body, a plug, and a filler insert. The device body includes a wall structure between surfaces defining internal passages including an access passage having a first diameter extending from an access opening in the device body to a hydraulic fluid passage extending through the wall structure from an entry opening in a first surface to an exit opening in a second surface to deliver hydraulic fluid through the wall structure. A plug is mounted to the device body to close the access opening. A filler insert is proximate the plug and has a shank having a circular cross-section of a second diameter that is less than the first diameter so as to be decoupled from the inner wall surface of the access passage. An annular space around the shank in the access passage allows the hydraulic fluid to encircle at least a part of the shank of the filler insert.