Piezo Valve Cable Pocket Assembly for Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current piezo valve designs are difficult and time-consuming to assemble, necessitating improved methods and systems for their manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a cable with contacts and a piezo element, where the cable forms a pocket between the contacts, and the piezo element is inserted and electrically coupled, with a biasing portion to position the element within a housing, simplifying assembly and tolerance compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional piezo valve designs are used, then the valve structure is stable and reliable, but the assembly process is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple components (cable, contacts, piezo element, housing) into a more integrated assembly where the cable forms a pocket structure that directly receives and secures the piezo element. This merging reduces the number of separate assembly steps and simplifies the overall manufacturing process while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is pre-formed with a pocket structure before final assembly, allowing the piezo element to be directly inserted into the pre-prepared receptacle. This preliminary formation of the pocket eliminates the need for complex alignment and securing operations during final assembly, significantly reducing assembly time and difficulty.
2Reliability
If precise alignment of contacts to piezo element layers is required, then electrical coupling is reliable, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable acts as an intermediary structure that provides a pre-formed pocket with integrated contacts positioned at precise locations. This intermediary structure eliminates the need for manual alignment of contacts with piezo element layers, as the pocket geometry itself ensures proper positioning during insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The contacts are pre-positioned and secured within the cable pocket structure before the piezo element is inserted. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the piezo element is inserted, the electrical coupling is automatically achieved at the correct locations without requiring time-consuming alignment operations.
3Manufacturing precision
If tolerance compensation is improved, then assembly variability is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the cable's material properties and geometric parameters (flexibility, pocket dimensions) to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. The cable can deform elastically to accommodate variations in piezo element dimensions, providing tolerance compensation through parameter changes rather than complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable pocket structure self-adjusts to accommodate tolerance variations in the piezo element through elastic deformation. The system compensates for manufacturing imprecisions automatically without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or complex tolerance management systems, achieving self-service tolerance compensation.
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
This approach reduces assembly time and costs, enhances assembly efficiency, and provides improved tolerance compensation in piezo valve systems.
Implementation Method 1
a piezo element having a first layer and a second layer... the piezo element can deform along its length when a voltage difference is applied across the layers
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assembling a piezo valve can include providing a cable having first and second contacts, forming a pocket between the first and second contacts, inserting at least a portion of a piezo element into the pocket, electrically coupling the first contact to a first layer of the piezo element, and electrically coupling the second contact to a second layer of the piezo element. Forming the pocket between the first and second contacts can include moving the second contact from a first position, in which the first and second contacts can be coplanar, to a second position, in which the first and second contacts can be disposed in different planes.