Pressure Distributor With Separate Supply Air Line
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The complex construction and high production costs of pressure distributors for motor vehicle pneumatic actuators, particularly due to sealing requirements and demolding complexities, hinder cost-effective and efficient manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A pressure distributor design featuring a separate common supply air line connected to multiple valves via releasable connections, with simplified demolding directions and flexible configuration options, allowing for reduced production complexity and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the supply air line is integrated into the pressure distributor housing, then the structural integrity and sealing are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and demolding difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure distributor is divided into separate components: the housing with valve mounting positions and the supply air line as a distinct insertable component. This segmentation allows the housing to be molded separately with simpler demolding requirements, while the supply air line can be manufactured and inserted as a separate unit, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining sealing integrity through dedicated sealing interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
A separate supply air line component acts as an intermediary element that connects the pressure generator to multiple valves. This intermediate component can be inserted into the housing after molding, allowing the housing itself to have a simpler structure that is easier to demold, while the supply air line provides the necessary fluid distribution function with its own integrated sealing features.
2Device complexity
If the supply air line is integrated into the pressure distributor housing, then the number of separate components is reduced, but the production cost and tooling complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the pressure distributor into a housing and a separate supply air line, the housing can be molded using simpler, less expensive tools. The supply air line can be manufactured separately using cost-effective processes and then assembled into the housing. This approach reduces the need for complex integrated molding tools while maintaining a compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply air line integrates multiple functions (fluid distribution, sealing, and structural support) into a single component that is inserted into the housing. This merging of functions within the supply air line reduces the need for additional separate sealing elements or structural components, thereby reducing overall production cost despite the increased component count.
3Ease of manufacture
If the supply air line is separate and connectable, then the production flexibility and cost-effectiveness are improved, but the sealing requirements at connection points become more critical
Solution Approach 1:
The supply air line serves as an intermediary component with integrated sealing features at its connection points. This separate component can be designed with dedicated sealing elements (such as O-rings or sealing lips) that ensure reliable sealing at the connection interface with the housing and valves, while allowing flexible manufacturing and assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing quality is enhanced locally at the connection points of the supply air line through the use of specialized sealing features or materials. While the rest of the supply air line can be manufactured with standard processes, the critical connection areas incorporate enhanced sealing design to ensure reliability, balancing production flexibility with sealing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a pressure distributor for a motor vehicle, in particular for pneumatic actuators in seats, wherein a pressure generator and a plurality of pneumatic actuators can be connected to the pressure distributor, wherein each actuator is assigned at least one electrically controllable valve which forwards a pressure which is generated by the pressure generator in a targeted manner via a respective outlet to the actuator which is assigned to it, wherein the plurality of valves are supplied with compressed air by the pressure generator during operation of the pressure distributor via a respective inlet of a common air inlet line. The common air inlet line is connected as a separate component via a releasable connection to the plurality of valves.