Hydroformed Check Valve Unit to Reduce Size and Part Count
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional check valves used in refrigeration cycles of air-conditioning apparatuses are large in size, restricting their arrangement and mounting due to their dimensions, especially when multiple valves are combined.
Innovation Solution
A compact check valve unit design featuring a cylindrical container body with an integrally formed valve seat and protruding portion, utilizing hydroforming to reduce size and simplify manufacturing, and incorporating a valve body with a guide portion to prevent backflow, eliminating the need for small diameter and tapered portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional check valve design with large diameter portion, small diameter portions, and tapered portions is used, then the valve structure is robust and reliable, but the overall size becomes large which restricts arrangement flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the container body and valve seat into a single integrated component formed by hydroforming. The valve seat is directly formed on the inner peripheral surface of the container body, eliminating the need for separate small diameter portions and tapered portions. This integration maintains structural reliability while significantly reducing the overall valve size and improving arrangement flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the valve structure by eliminating the traditional large diameter portion, small diameter portions, and tapered portions. Instead, it uses a cylindrical container body with a valve seat formed directly on the inner surface, fundamentally altering the dimensional parameters to achieve compact size while maintaining functional reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple conventional check valves are assembled together, then the required flow control function is achieved, but the assembly size increases and mounting restrictions are imposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple valve functions into a single integrated container body structure. The hydroformed container body incorporates the valve seat, guide portion, and multiple blades in one piece, eliminating the need for separate assembly of multiple conventional valves. This reduces assembly size while maintaining effective flow control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The container body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the structural housing, forms the valve seat for sealing, provides the guide portion for valve body movement, and incorporates blades for flow control. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components that would increase assembly size.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional multi-part check valve structure is used, then each component can be manufactured separately, but the number of parts increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the container body and valve seat into a single hydroformed component, reducing the total number of parts. The valve body with guide portion and blades remains as a separate movable component, but the overall part count is significantly reduced compared to conventional multi-part structures with separate large diameter portions, small diameter portions, and tapered portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hydroforming (a hydraulic manufacturing process) to create the integrated container body with valve seat. High-pressure fluid is used to form the metal tube into the desired shape with the valve seat integrated on the inner surface, enabling complex geometries to be manufactured as a single piece without increasing part count.
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 compact design allows for greater flexibility in arrangement and reduced manufacturing costs by minimizing the number of parts and simplifying the manufacturing process, while maintaining effective refrigerant flow control.
Implementation Method 1
A manufacturing method of check valve unit includes: hydroforming a metal tube to form a container body (2), the container body (2) having a cylindrical shape
Data Source
AI summary
A check valve unit 1 includes: a container body 2 including a valve body housing portion 21, a valve seat 22, and a protruding portion 23, the valve body housing portion 21 having a cylindrical shape, the valve seat 22 being formed at one end portion of the valve body housing portion 21 and protruding from an inner peripheral surface of the valve body housing portion 21, the protruding portion 23 being formed at the other end portion of the valve body housing portion 21 and protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the valve body housing portion 21; and a valve body 3 including a valve portion 31 and a guide portion 32 and disposed in the container body 2, the valve portion 31 coming into contact with the valve seat 22 at a time of preventing backflow of refrigerant, the guide portion 32 including a plurality of blades.