Plastic Tank With Integrated Ducts for Urea Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motor vehicles, especially passenger vehicles, the limited and irregularly shaped installation space poses challenges for integrating additional tanks, and existing plastic tanks require complex and costly designs with multiple parts, leading to sealing and assembly issues.
Innovation Solution
A plastic tank with integrated ducts and heaters within the tank wall, produced using injection molding, allowing for a complex shape that fits irregular spaces and eliminates the need for external line components, featuring a duct system that runs parallel to the tank wall and connection elements for direct integration of active components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic tanks are designed with separate external line components and multiple parts for fluid delivery, then the tank can be assembled with standard components, but the assembly complexity increases and sealing issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the delivery line directly into the tank wall by forming a duct within the plastic material during the molding process. This merging of the tank structure and delivery line eliminates separate external line components, reducing the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining fluid delivery functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank wall serves multiple functions: it contains the operating fluid, provides structural support, and incorporates the delivery line duct for fluid extraction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall system design.
2Ease of manufacture
If plastic tanks are designed with separate external line components and multiple parts, then standard assembly procedures can be used, but sealing issues and assembly problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the delivery line duct directly into the tank wall as a single molded piece, the patent eliminates multiple connection points and joints where sealing issues could occur. The seamless integration ensures reliable sealing without requiring additional gaskets or connection mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If plastic tanks are designed to fit irregular installation spaces with complex shapes, then the tank utilizes available space efficiently, but the manufacturing process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the flexibility of plastic molding processes to create complex tank shapes that adapt to irregular installation spaces. By changing the geometric parameters during the molding process, the tank can be produced with intricate forms including indentations and outwardly bulged portions without requiring additional manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank design includes segmented features such as indentations and bulged portions that allow the tank to conform to irregular spaces. These segmented geometric features are integrated into the single molded piece, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving spatial adaptability.
4Temperature
If heating components are added separately to plastic tanks, then the tank can heat operating fluid, but the device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heating component is integrated directly into the tank wall structure, merging the heating function with the tank body. This integration reduces device complexity by eliminating separate heating assemblies and their associated mounting hardware, while still providing effective heating of the operating fluid through the tank wall.
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 design simplifies and cheapens the production of plastic tanks, reducing assembly complexity and preventing sealing issues, while enabling effective heating and efficient fluid delivery directly from the tank wall, suitable for urea-water solutions and other operating fluids.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heater and/or at least one heat-conducting structure is at least partially integrated into the tank wall which makes it possible for the operating fluid which is situated in the ducts in the tank wall to be heated up in an effective manner
Implementation Method 2
at least one heater and/or at least one heat-conducting structure is at least partially integrated into the tank wall which makes it possible for the operating fluid which is situated in the ducts in the tank wall to be heated up in an effective manner
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a plastic tank (1) for an operating fluid, in particular a urea-water solution, having a tank wall (2), wherein in the tank wall (2) there is integrated at least one duct (3) which forms a part of a delivery line (4) for delivering operating fluid out of the plastic tank (1).