Refrigerant Pipe Joint Structure for Collision Leak Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In in-vehicle devices, the connection between outer and inner refrigerant pipes at the housing wall is vulnerable to damage during collisions, leading to potential refrigerant leaks inside the housing.
Innovation Solution
A connecting structure featuring a joint pipe with flanges or ribs on both the outer refrigerant pipe and the joint pipe, which creates a gap to prevent the outer refrigerant pipe from being pushed into the housing, and includes a step in the joint pipe to restrict movement, ensuring the inner refrigerant pipe is not damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the outer refrigerant pipe is connected directly to the inner refrigerant pipe at the housing wall, then the connection structure is simple, but the cooler may be damaged during collision due to the outer pipe being pushed into the housing
Solution Approach 1:
A joint pipe is introduced as an intermediary component between the outer refrigerant pipe and the inner refrigerant pipe. The joint pipe includes a first receiving portion for the outer pipe and a second receiving portion for the inner pipe, physically separating the two pipes and preventing direct contact. This mediator absorbs collision impacts and prevents the outer pipe from pushing the inner pipe into the cooler, thus protecting the cooler while maintaining a relatively simple overall connection structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection structure is segmented into distinct functional portions: the joint pipe is divided into a first receiving portion (facing outward) and a second receiving portion (facing inward), with each portion independently receiving and protecting its corresponding refrigerant pipe. This segmentation allows the joint pipe to independently manage the positioning and protection of both pipes, preventing force transmission from the outer pipe to the inner pipe during collisions.
2Ease of operation
If the outer refrigerant pipe is allowed to move freely during collision, then the connection structure is flexible, but refrigerant may leak inside the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The joint pipe is pre-configured with receiving portions and positioning structures that establish fixed spatial relationships between the outer and inner refrigerant pipes before collision occurs. The first receiving portion and second receiving portion are designed with specific geometries that preliminarily determine the pipes' positions and prevent excessive movement during collision, ensuring refrigerant containment while maintaining necessary flexibility for connection.
Data Source
AI summary
A connecting structure includes a housing, a cooler, an inner refrigerant pipe, an outer refrigerant pipe, and a joint pipe. The joint pipe is attached to a through hole of the housing. The inner refrigerant pipe is fitted to the joint pipe from a housing inner side. The outer refrigerant pipe is fitted to the joint pipe from a housing outer side. A tip of the inner refrigerant pipe and a tip of the outer refrigerant pipe define a gap inside the joint pipe. An end surface of a flange or a rib of the outer refrigerant pipe in a refrigerant-pipe axis direction abuts with an end surface of a flange or a rib of the joint pipe in the refrigerant-pipe axis direction.