Pressure Relief Vent Assembly With Water Collection Pockets
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure relief vents in vehicles allow water to flow into the vehicle cabin during various operating conditions such as parking at an angle, sudden stops, or rapid acceleration, leading to the need for improved designs that inhibit water entry.
Innovation Solution
The pressure relief vent assembly features a plurality of closable air passage chambers with enlarged water collection pockets and water passage recesses, which distribute water evenly and prevent its passage through the airflow passages, effectively addressing the issue of water ingress during different vehicle operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pressure relief vent is designed to allow air to pass out of the vehicle cabin, then air pressure relief function is improved, but water may flow through the vent into the vehicle cabin during various operating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The vent assembly is divided into multiple air passage chambers (first, second, third chambers) with separate water collection pockets for each chamber. This segmentation allows independent water management for each airflow passage, preventing water from one chamber from affecting others while maintaining pressure relief functionality across all chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
Water collection pockets are introduced as intermediary structures between the air passage chambers and the external environment. These pockets act as water traps that intercept and hold water before it can enter the vehicle cabin through the airflow passages, while still allowing air to pass through the chambers.
2Reliability
If water collection pockets are enlarged to collect more water, then water prevention capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple water collection pockets (first, second, third pockets) are merged into a connected water collection system. The pockets are fluidly connected through water passage recesses, allowing them to function as a unified water trapping structure. This merging approach increases water collection capacity while avoiding the complexity of completely separate water management systems for each chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The water collection pockets serve multiple functions: they collect water from different air passage chambers, distribute water evenly through water passage recesses, and prevent water from entering the vehicle cabin. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If water passage recesses are added to distribute water evenly, then water distribution is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Water passage recesses are strategically positioned at specific locations within the water collection pockets to create localized water flow paths. This ensures that water is distributed evenly across the pockets according to their specific positions and orientations, with each recess tailored to the local geometric requirements of its chamber.
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure relief vent assembly that defines a plurality of enlarged water collection pockets and a plurality of water passage recesses that enable water to move between the water collection pockets and to be more evenly distributed relative to and in the respective water collection pockets, and thus is configured to inhibit water from entering an enclosed area through the pressure relief vent assembly.