Beveled Quick Coupler Sleeve for Radial Offset Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water cooling systems in server cabinets face issues with radial offset between male and female quick couplers leading to wear, incomplete connections, and potential leakage, especially when using different coupler types, which can result in compromised watertightness and spring deformation.
Innovation Solution
An alignment guiding sleeve with a closed engaging end and an open guiding end, featuring a guiding passage and a beveled guiding surface, allows for the correction of radial offset between male and female couplers without causing wear, ensuring axial alignment and watertight connections by guiding the female coupler into the sleeve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If guiding posts and guiding seats are provided for every male and female coupler to correct radial offset, then alignment accuracy between couplers is improved, but internal space of server cabinet is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the alignment function directly into the coupler structure by providing a guiding surface on the male coupler that interfaces with a guiding surface on the female coupler. This merging of alignment functionality into the coupler body eliminates the need for separate guiding posts and seats, thereby correcting radial offset while preserving server cabinet internal space.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing guiding structures on the fixed server cabinet side, the patent inverts the approach by placing the guiding surface on the movable male coupler. This inversion allows the male coupler to actively guide its own alignment with the female coupler during connection, achieving precise alignment without occupying cabinet space with fixed guiding structures.
2Volume of stationary object
If guiding posts and guiding seats are omitted to save space, then internal space of server cabinet is preserved, but radial offset between couplers cannot be corrected leading to wear and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the alignment and sealing functions into a single integrated coupler design. The guiding surfaces on both male and female couplers work together to correct radial offset while maintaining proper alignment of sealing elements, ensuring watertight connection without requiring separate guiding structures that would occupy cabinet space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the male coupler (movable side) the active guiding element rather than the female coupler on the fixed cabinet. This allows space-saving omission of cabinet-mounted guiding structures while maintaining reliable alignment and sealing through the male coupler's integrated guiding surface.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different types of couplers (UQD and UQDB) are used to meet OCP requirements, then versatility and adaptability are improved, but control of insertion depth is lost leading to spring deformation and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the male coupler with a universal guiding surface that can accommodate different types of female couplers (UQD and UQDB) while maintaining consistent alignment and insertion depth control. This universal guiding mechanism allows the system to work with various coupler types without sacrificing precision in insertion depth, preventing spring deformation and leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the guiding surface geometry to control the insertion depth parameter. By designing the guiding surface with specific angular and dimensional characteristics, the system automatically limits how far the male coupler can be inserted into the female coupler, ensuring proper compression of sealing elements and springs regardless of coupler type variations.
Data Source
AI summary
An alignment guiding sleeve for quick coupler includes a guiding sleeve having a closed engaging end provided with an engaging bore and an open guiding end defining a guiding bore and formed into a beveled guiding surface, and internally defining a guiding passage extending between and communicable with the engaging end and the guiding end. A male coupler can be assembled to the guiding sleeve by inserting through the engaging bore. The beveled guiding surface is adapted to guide a female couple into the guiding passage to connect to the male coupler. With the beveled guiding surface, any radial offset between the female coupler and the male coupler can be corrected, so that the female and the male coupler can be eventually aligned axially to connect together end to end without causing wear and incomplete watertight connection at the joint of the female and male couplers to result in leakage.