Holding Sealing Material Thread Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing holding sealing materials for exhaust gas purifying apparatuses face challenges in distinguishing between the front and back, leading to potential misinstallation, due to surface roughness differences and unreliable identification methods such as pigment fading or blurring, which affects workability and retaining force.

Innovation Solution

A holding sealing material with inorganic fibers featuring a thread sewn in to provide clear identification information, using differently colored upper and bobbin threads for easy discrimination, and affixing an organic or inorganic pigment to the thread for durability, ensuring the information remains intact during use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If pigment is affixed to the surface of the mat for identification, then discrimination between front and back is improved, but the pigment falls off due to friction or vibrations during transportation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentification informationVSAvoidcoloring durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the identification function into the mat structure itself through asymmetric surface roughness created during the mat formation process. The front surface is made smoother while the back surface remains rougher, establishing permanent structural differentiation before any identification markings are applied. This pre-established structural asymmetry ensures reliable front-back discrimination without relying on fragile surface pigments that could fall off during transportation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the holding sealing material is disposed with the back to the front, then workability is improved by using the smoother face contact with the exhaust gas treating body, but misinstallation occurs due to inability to discriminate front and back

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewinding propertyVSAvoidfront-back discrimination
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating distinct surface characteristics at different locations of the mat. The front surface is engineered to be smoother for optimal contact with the exhaust gas treating body, while the back surface maintains a rougher texture. This localized differentiation in surface quality provides tactile and visual cues that enable workers to easily discriminate between front and back, ensuring correct installation orientation while maintaining excellent winding properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If a mat with different surface roughness between front and back is used, then winding property is improved by contacting the smoother face with the exhaust gas treating body, but discrimination between front and back becomes difficult without additional markings

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewinding propertyVSAvoidfront-back discrimination
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies color changes by incorporating pigments or dyes into the mat material itself during the manufacturing process, creating permanent color differentiation between the front and back surfaces. The front surface is colored differently from the back surface, providing clear visual identification that complements the surface roughness difference. This color coding system enables easy front-back discrimination without interfering with the winding properties, as the color is integrated into the material structure rather than applied as a separate layer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP2375024B1Holding sealing material
Publication Date: 2012.03.28 IBIDEN CO LTD
  • EP2375024B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2375024B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)
  • EP2375024B1 patent drawingFigure 4(a)~4(b)

AI summary

An object of the present invention is to provide a holding sealing material (10), two sides of which can be determined more simply. The holding sealing material (10) according to the present invention comprises: a mat (11) comprising inorganic fibers and a thread sewn (16,17) in said mat (11) to provide identification information on said mat.