One Piece Vent Groove Retains Roto Clip for Fuel Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety vents for commercial vehicles fail to provide a secure and cost-effective solution for retaining a ball and float during normal operations while maintaining an air-tight seal during rollover conditions, leading to potential fuel leakage.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece vent manufactured from a single material, such as Aluminum, with an interior groove to secure a roto clip, which in turn retains a ball and float, ensuring secure retention and cost-effective manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional multi-component vent designs are used, then assembly flexibility is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple vent components (body, retention mechanism, groove structures) into a single integrated vent body made from one piece of material. This eliminates the need for separate assembly steps and reduces the total number of parts, directly addressing the contradiction by simplifying the device structure while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-piece vent body performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural housing, contains the retention groove for the roto clip, and incorporates the aperture for vapor release. This multi-functionality approach resolves the contradiction by consolidating what would traditionally require multiple specialized components into one universal part.
2Reliability
If traditional retention methods are used, then assembly is simplified, but security of ball and float retention deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The vent body is pre-formed with an integrated groove structure during the single-piece manufacturing process. This preliminary action creates a built-in retention feature that automatically secures the roto clip, ball, and float assembly, improving reliability without adding complex separate retention mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The roto clip acts as an intermediary element that connects to the pre-formed groove in the vent body. This intermediary mechanism provides secure retention of the ball and float while maintaining simplicity in the overall design, resolving the contradiction between retention security and device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If vapor release functionality is maintained, then fuel tank ventilation is improved, but fuel leakage risk during rollover increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vent design incorporates a dynamic retention system where the roto clip, ball, and float can move in response to changing conditions. During normal operation, the system allows vapor release through the aperture. During rollover, the dynamic retention mechanism activates to seal the aperture, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining vapor release functionality and preventing fuel leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated groove and roto clip mechanism is pre-configured to automatically counteract the harmful effect of fuel leakage during rollover. The retention system is designed to engage and seal the aperture when abnormal conditions occur, providing preliminary anti-action against the potential harmful effect while maintaining normal vapor release operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A one piece vent formed from one integral piece of material, such as Aluminum, and which defines a fluid pathway therethrough having a borehole within said fluid pathway, and further including a groove that retains a roto clip therein so as to secure a ball and a float within an interior of the vent, the float movable between a sealing position on said borehole and an unsealed position away from said borehole.