Refrigerant manifold

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing refrigerant manifolds face issues with the intermediate plate deviating from its exact position during the assembly process, leading to misalignment of through-holes, reduced refrigerant flow rate and pressure, and potential leaks due to gaps between misaligned portions.

Innovation Solution

A refrigerant manifold design featuring restraint portions on the first and second housings that protrude towards the intermediate plate to restrict its rotation and deviation, along with penetration pins to enhance positional stability, ensuring accurate alignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the intermediate plate is assembled without restraint portions, then the assembly process is simple, but the intermediate plate deviates from its exact position causing misalignment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidintermediate plate position alignment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Restraint portions are introduced as intermediary structures that mediate between the housings and the intermediate plate. These restraint portions protrude from the housings toward the intermediate plate to physically guide and restrict the plate's position, ensuring accurate alignment without complicating the overall assembly process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The restraint portions are pre-formed on the housings before assembly. This preliminary action of creating guiding structures in advance allows the intermediate plate to be automatically guided into the correct position during assembly, preventing deviation without requiring complex alignment procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If restraint portions are added to prevent intermediate plate deviation, then positioning accuracy improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveintermediate plate position alignmentVSAvoidrestraint portion structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Rather than making the entire housing complex, restraint portions are added only at specific local positions where guidance is needed. The restraint portions are simple protruding structures formed at discrete locations on the housings, providing necessary positioning functionality without overall structural complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning function is segmented into discrete restraint portions rather than requiring a complex overall structure. Each restraint portion is an independent simple protrusion that contributes to the overall positioning accuracy through its localized function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250377142A1Refrigerant manifold

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 HANON SYST CO LTD

AI summary

The present invention relates to a refrigerant manifold. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant manifold having a structure capable of particularly and effectively preventing an intermediate plate from deviating from an exact position. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant manifold having a plurality of restraint portions provided on first and second housings, protruding toward an intermediate plate to restrict a rotation of the intermediate plate, and configured to guide and support an exact position of an edge of the intermediate plate.