Hot Cold Water Mixing Valve Segmented Housing Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot and cold water mixing valve devices face challenges in assembly and watertightness due to variations in installation conditions, leading to potential slippage of O-rings and compromised watertightness, especially with longer specifications for exterior dimensions and axial distances between inlets.
Innovation Solution
A hot and cold water mixing valve device design featuring a cylindrical mixing valve unit and flow control valve unit with watertight connections, utilizing seal members on connecting portions and forming passageways to ensure communication between inlets and outlets, allowing for easy assembly and maintaining watertightness by directing water flow on the outer circumference of the valve device main body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the axial center distance between hot water inlet and cold water inlet is increased to meet different installation conditions, then adaptability is improved, but the O-ring may slip off during assembly due to increased sliding distance, compromising watertightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single long sliding path into multiple shorter segments by introducing intermediate steps (first housing, second housing, third housing) at different positions along the axial direction. Each housing provides a separate sealing location, breaking the continuous sliding motion into discrete stages that reduce the risk of O-ring slippage while accommodating the extended axial distance requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate housings (first, second, and third housings) that act as mediators between the mixing valve device main body and the external casing. These intermediate structures provide additional sealing surfaces and support points, enabling the system to maintain watertightness over longer axial distances by distributing the sealing function across multiple locations rather than relying on a single long seal.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the exterior dimension in longitudinal direction is increased for longer specification, then adaptability is improved, but assembly complexity increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the valve device into multiple modular components (mixing valve device main body, first housing, second housing, third housing, external casing) that can be assembled in a standardized sequence. This segmentation allows for efficient assembly despite the extended longitudinal dimension, as each module can be prepared independently and connected through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the mixing valve device main body is housed within the first housing, which is in turn housed within the second housing, and finally within the third housing and external casing. This nested arrangement accommodates the longer specification while maintaining compact packaging and efficient assembly, as components are inserted in a logical sequence from innermost to outermost.
3Reliability
If multiple O-rings are installed at multiple locations to ensure watertightness, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the intermediate housings to serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, create sealing surfaces for O-rings, and facilitate the nesting arrangement. By making these intermediate components multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated sealing elements and simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining multiple sealing locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural housing components themselves. The O-rings are installed in grooves formed on the housings that also provide mechanical support and positioning. This merging of sealing and structural functions into unified components reduces the total number of separate parts and simplifies assembly compared to having dedicated sealing elements separate from the structural framework.
Data Source
AI summary
The hot and cold water mixing valve device includes a hot and cold water mixing valve unit; a flow control valve unit; a valve device main body; a hot and cold water mixing valve housing; and a flow control valve housing; and wherein the valve device main body includes: a hot water passageway permitting communication between only the hot water inlet of the valve device main body and the hot water inlet of the hot and cold water mixing valve unit; and a cold water passageway permitting communication between only the cold water inlet of the valve device main body and the cold water inlet of the hot and cold water mixing valve unit are formed on the interior of the valve device main body.