Plug-in device for a cylinder of a condenser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioning systems in motor vehicles face issues with foreign bodies and moisture in refrigerant fluid circuits, leading to component breakage and leaks, requiring effective filtration and dehydration solutions that are modular and adaptable to different manufacturer requirements.
Innovation Solution
A plug-in device for condenser cylinders featuring a removable and rotatable plug with clip-fastening components, including filters and separators, that can be easily assembled and disassembled to ensure efficient filtration and dehydration without wear, allowing for modular configurations to reuse existing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the functional component is fixed to the plug, then the assembly is simple, but the functional component wears during screwing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate components: the plug and the functional component (filter or separator). The functional component is not permanently fixed to the plug but can be independently installed or removed, allowing it to avoid wear during screwing operations while maintaining assembly simplicity through modular design.
2Reliability
If the cylinder is sealed, then reliability is improved, but maintenance and component replacement become impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is designed with dynamic sealing capabilities that allow it to be removed and reinstalled while maintaining seal integrity. The sealing lip on the plug can be compressed against the cylinder opening to create a seal during operation, but the plug can be removed for maintenance by overcoming this sealing force, enabling both reliability and maintainability.
3Device complexity
If the supercooling pass is at the bottom, then module design is simplified, but air conditioning performance decreases due to warming from the charge air cooler
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the supercooling pass at the bottom where it would be warmed by the charge air cooler, the invention inverts the arrangement by positioning the supercooling pass at the top of the condenser. This ensures that the refrigerant undergoes supercooling with cooler ambient air, improving air conditioning performance while the charge air cooler remains at the bottom.
4Reliability
If the cylinder contains both filter and desiccant, then dehydration and filtration are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug serves multiple functions: it seals the cylinder opening, provides a mounting structure for the functional component (filter or separator), and enables easy installation and removal. By consolidating these functions into a single component, the overall device complexity is reduced while maintaining effective filtration and dehydration capabilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively filters impurities and separates phases of refrigerant fluid, preventing leaks and maintaining system performance by ensuring the refrigerant is in a liquid phase for supercooling, while allowing for easy maintenance and adaptability to various manufacturer specifications.
Implementation Method 1
filtering the refrigerant by adding a filter situated between the inlet and the outlet of the cylinder
Implementation Method 2
absorbing moisture inside the air conditioning loop by adding a bag of desiccant inside the cylinder
Implementation Method 3
cylinders containing a certain quantity of refrigerant fluid in the liquid phase
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a plug-in device (90) for a cylinder of a condenser, this plug-in device comprising: - a plug (100) designed to plug, preferably removably, an opening of the cylinder, - a functional component (200; 300) designed to interact with a refrigerant fluid in the cylinder, this functional component being designed to be mounted, removably or non-removably, on the plug with the possibility of rotating with respect to this plug.