Blind Mate Fluid Coupling With Pivoting Valve Misalignment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blind mate fluid couplings have insufficient misalignment tolerance, particularly in applications like electronic data centers where tighter enclosure tolerances are not maintained, limiting their broader adoption due to restricted radial and angular misalignment capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates angularly pivotable valve bodies within housings to compensate for angular and radially movable valve bodies between coupling members, allowing for increased misalignment tolerance through spherical interfaces and spring-biased surfaces, enabling both angular and radial misalignment compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional blind mate coupling designs are used with fixed valve bodies, then the manufacturing process remains simple and economical, but the misalignment tolerance is insufficient (only 1 mm radial and zero angular misalignment)
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is made dynamically adjustable through angular pivoting capability within the housing. This allows the valve body to adapt its orientation to compensate for angular misalignment between coupling members, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that can self-adjust during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters of the valve body by introducing angular pivoting degrees of freedom. This parameter change enables the coupling to accommodate varying misalignment conditions (both angular and radial) without requiring tighter manufacturing tolerances on the enclosing structures
2Adaptability or versatility
If the valve body is made angularly pivotable to compensate for misalignment, then misalignment tolerance increases, but the device complexity and structural design become more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
A spherical interface is introduced between the valve body and housing, allowing angular pivoting through a simple spherical joint mechanism. This curved geometric solution provides multi-axis rotational capability without complex mechanical linkages, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling system is segmented into independently movable components: the housing remains relatively fixed while the valve body can pivot angularly and move radially. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized separately and simplifies the overall mechanism by distributing the misalignment compensation function across multiple degrees of freedom
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 solution enhances the ability of blind mate fluid couplings to maintain fluid connection despite misalignments, simplifying the design and ensuring reliable fluid communication even in applications with less stringent alignment requirements.
Implementation Method 1
spring-biased surfaces
Implementation Method 2
spring-biased surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A coupling member for a blind mate fluid coupling including a housing and a fluid connector configured to connect to a fluid conduit, the fluid connector being fixed in position relative to the housing. The coupling member further includes a valve body at least partially extending in the housing. The valve body can have an internal fluid passage that is fluidly connected to the fluid connector, wherein the valve body further has a spherical interface that interfaces with at least one of the housing or another coupling member for enabling angular misalignment between the coupling member and the another coupling member.