Removable Installation Kit for Multi-Stage Heating Device Connection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of thermal devices, particularly heat pumps, in new buildings is challenging due to the need for precise alignment and connection of multiple components by different trades at various stages of construction, leading to misalignment risks and potential leaks, and existing solutions like rigid steel assembly jigs are costly and complicated.
Innovation Solution
An installation kit comprising a removable body with pre-positioned fluid connectors for connecting thermal devices to fluid pipe networks, acting as a temporary marker to ensure correct spacing and alignment, allowing for secure placement of connectors before the thermal device is installed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid steel assembly jig is used to hold tubes in place and indicate heat pump position, then manufacturing precision and alignment are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The installation kit is divided into separate functional components: a body structure for positioning, multiple receptacles for different connectors, and the connectors themselves. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall precision without requiring a complex monolithic steel jig.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation kit uses inexpensive materials like cardboard or plastic for the body and receptacles, which are removed after serving their temporary positioning purpose. This disposable approach eliminates the need for expensive permanent steel jigs while achieving the required precision during installation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different trades install components at different stages, then adaptability to construction schedules is improved, but measurement precision and alignment reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The body and receptacles are pre-assembled with precise spacing and positioning before installation on-site. This preliminary preparation ensures that when different trades install components at different stages, the alignment precision is already established and cannot be compromised by coordination issues during construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation kit acts as an intermediary device that bridges the work of different trades. The fixed receptacles provide a common reference framework that both plumbing and heating trades can use, ensuring precise connector alignment even when installations occur at different times by different professionals.
3Ease of operation
If flexible connections are used to compensate for misalignment, then ease of installation is improved, but reliability and leak risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The receptacles are designed with precise dimensional tolerances that guide connectors into exact alignment, eliminating the need for flexible compensatory connections. The rigid positioning structure ensures that rigid pipes can be connected directly without relying on flexible hoses that might leak.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~3
AI summary
A removable installation kit improves connection of a heating device to a heating network during a multi-stage installation of a multi-component heating system including a first fluid pipe network and a second fluid pipe network. The kit comprises a body arranged to be attachable to a structure, for example a wall, and the body comprises a first plurality of fluid connectors for connecting the heating device to the first fluid pipe network, and a second plurality of fluid connectors for connecting the heating device to the second fluid pipe network. The body is arranged to be removeable, after the heating device is connected to the heating network, from the structure, from the first plurality of fluid connectors, and from the plurality of second fluid connectors.