PCB-Routed Valve Housing Sealing for Compact Air Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valves used in vehicle seat systems for controlling air supply and discharge face challenges in achieving reliable gas-tight sealing and efficient space utilization due to complex electrical actuation and adhesive application processes.
Innovation Solution
The valve design incorporates an open space between valve chambers with sealing material that fills only partially, allowing for gas-tight sealing of connecting openings and eliminating the need for a valve cover and base, thereby reducing the overall structure's size and simplifying installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive is used to seal the passage of printed circuit board into valve chambers, then gas-tight sealing is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes difficult and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the printed circuit board passage from the valve chamber interior by routing it through the valve housing wall instead. This extraction eliminates the need for adhesive sealing within the chamber, solving both the reliability and manufacturing difficulty issues by relocating the sealing requirement to the housing wall where it can be more easily and reliably sealed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sealing element as an intermediary component that mediates between the printed circuit board connection and the valve chamber. This sealing element provides a reliable gas-tight barrier while being easier to manufacture and install than adhesive applications, thus resolving the contradiction between sealing reliability and manufacturing ease.
2Reliability
If valve cover and base are included in the structure, then complete enclosure is achieved, but the overall size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of the valve cover and base into the main valve housing structure. By integrating these enclosing functions directly into the housing, the patent achieves complete enclosure and gas-tight sealing without requiring separate cover and base components, thus reducing structural complexity while maintaining enclosure completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve housing is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural framework, ensures gas-tight enclosure, and integrates the printed circuit board routing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cover and base components, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining complete enclosure.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve includes a valve housing having first and second regions, at least one valve chamber configured to be pressurized with air and including an actuating element for opening and closing a valve opening and an actuator for actuating the actuating element, both arranged in the first region. A printed circuit board extends into each valve chamber and to electrically operate the actuator, the printed circuit board(s) being connected to a common main printed circuit board arranged in the second region. Each valve chamber is surrounded by boundary surfaces closing the valve chamber in a substantially gas-tight manner. An open space open to at least two oppositely disposed sides of the valve housing extends between at least two of the valve chambers, and a connecting member of the printed circuit boards extends through connecting openings of the boundary surfaces of adjacent valve chambers and the open space. A sealing material located in the open space encloses the connecting member and the connecting openings in a gas-tight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely disposed sides. A method of manufacturing such a valve includes manufacturing a conductor element including the printed circuit boards and the main printed circuit board; introducing the conductor element into the valve housing; and filling the open space at least in part with the sealing material from at least one side after the introducing step so that the sealing material seals the connecting member and the connecting openings in a gas-tight manner at least in the direction of the oppositely disposed sides.