Integrated Flow-Channel Assembly for Compact Media Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems in electric vehicles and mobile air conditioning systems require compact, cost-effective, and complex pipe arrangements that are difficult to produce and recycle, with limited installation space and high material diversity.
Innovation Solution
A compact media transport arrangement featuring a base body with embedded separating bodies to create multiple flow channels, allowing for complex configurations and materials like thermoplastic polymers, with optional integration of functional elements like rotary valves and heat exchangers, produced through blow molding for efficient and versatile design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate pipes and pipe sections are used to transport temperature control media, then the system can accommodate various media transport requirements, but the structure becomes complex, costly, and difficult to assemble and recycle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate pipes and pipe sections into a single integrated base body with multiple internal flow channels. The base body contains several flow channels that can transport different temperature control media simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple separate pipe components and reducing structural complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The base body serves multiple functions: it acts as both the structural housing and the pipe network for transporting temperature control media. The flow channels within the base body can accommodate different media types (coolant, lubricant, etc.), making the single component universal for various media transport requirements.
2Volume of moving object
If flow channels are arranged closely to save space, then the installation space is reduced, but the flow channels may interfere with each other and require complex separation structures
Solution Approach 1:
The flow channels are nested within the walls of the base body, with channels arranged in different layers and orientations. The base body walls themselves serve as separation structures, allowing flow channels to be closely packed without requiring additional complex separation components. Channels can run above, below, and next to each other within the same base body structure.
3Reliability
If traditional pipe arrangements are used with various materials for different sections, then each pipe section can be optimized for its operating conditions, but the assembly becomes costly and difficult to recycle
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is constructed with multi-layer walls where different layers have different properties optimized for specific functions. For example, outer layers may provide mechanical strength while inner layers provide thermal insulation or chemical resistance. This allows each region of the base body to have locally optimized properties without requiring separate pipe sections made of different materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The base body employs composite wall structures with multiple layers, each layer providing specific properties. This composite construction allows the single component to achieve the performance benefits of multiple different materials while maintaining a unified structure that is easier to manufacture and recycle compared to assembled multi-material pipe systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
Arrangement (1) for the transport of media, comprising at least one base body (2) which forms at least one wall (3), wherein the wall (3) at least partially delimits two flow channels (4, 5) formed in the base body (2), characterized in that the flow channels (4, 5) are separated from each other at least partially by at least one separating body (6) arranged in the base body (2).