Self-Aligning Gas-Tight Plug for Injector Cup Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas-tight plugs struggle to align with varying positions of injector cups on fuel delivery pipes during gas-tightness inspections, leading to measurement errors due to fixed axial directions, which cannot accommodate the allowable tolerance variations in cup positions.
Innovation Solution
A gas-tight plug design featuring a base portion with a circular flat surface or spherical surface that allows automatic alignment upon pressing, utilizing a piston and O-ring mechanism for hermetic sealing, and a chamfered portion for easy engagement, enabling axial direction coincidence without requiring precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional gas-tight plug with fixed axial direction is used, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate position variations of injector cups within allowable tolerance, leading to misalignment and measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-tight plug is designed with a spherical contact surface at its base that enables it to rotate and adjust its axial direction dynamically. This spherical contact surface contacts a planar surface on the pressing mechanism, allowing the plug to automatically orient itself toward the center of the spherical surface when pressed, thereby adapting to position variations of injector cups without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The gas-tight plug performs self-alignment through its spherical contact surface geometry. When the plug is pressed against the injector cup opening, the spherical contact surface naturally guides the plug to rotate and position itself correctly without external intervention or complex alignment mechanisms. The plug automatically orients its axis toward the center of the spherical surface, achieving self-service alignment
2Measurement precision
If precise alignment between gas-tight plug and injector cup is required, then measurement accuracy is improved, but the operation becomes more difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-tight plug performs self-alignment through its spherical contact surface geometry. When the plug is pressed against the injector cup opening, the spherical contact surface naturally guides the plug to rotate and position itself correctly without external intervention or complex alignment mechanisms. The plug automatically orients its axis toward the center of the spherical surface, achieving self-service alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical contact surface at the base of the gas-tight plug utilizes spherical geometry to enable automatic alignment. The curved surface allows the plug to rotate and adjust its orientation freely during the pressing operation, naturally guiding it to the correct position where its axis points toward the center of the spherical surface, thereby achieving precise alignment through curvature rather than complex mechanical guides
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gas-tight plug allows movement during pressing, then automatic alignment is achieved, but gas-tightness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-tight plug is designed with a spherical contact surface at its base that enables it to rotate and adjust its axial direction dynamically. This spherical contact surface contacts a planar surface on the pressing mechanism, allowing the plug to automatically orient itself toward the center of the spherical surface when pressed, thereby adapting to position variations of injector cups without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical contact surface geometry is designed in advance to guide the plug into correct alignment during the pressing operation. The geometry itself performs the alignment function before the actual sealing action occurs, ensuring that the plug is properly positioned and oriented when the sealing force is applied, thus maintaining gas-tightness while enabling movement
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
This design enhances inspection accuracy by allowing automatic alignment of gas-tight plugs with injector cups, reducing the risk of deformation and positional deviations, and maintaining gas-tightness without increasing device complexity or cost.
Implementation Method 1
a contact part of a base portion end of the gas-tight plug coming into contact with a base of the pressing mechanism has a circular flat surface or a spherical surface coaxial with the end portion
Implementation Method 2
when the piston moves so that the end of the piston presses the O-ring to the cylinder side, the O-ring is axially compressed and radially expanded
Implementation Method 3
a chamfered portion is formed by tapering on an end shoulder portion of the gas-tight plug
Data Source
AI summary
A gas-tight plug is attachable by pressing it against an opening portion of a hollow component, the gas-tight plug being inserted into the opening portion using the force of pressing to be automatically aligned so that if the positions of a plurality of opening portions vary within an allowable tolerance, the axial directions of all the opening portions and the axial directions of the respective gas-tight plugs are automatically caused to coincide. A gas-tight plug includes an end portion, a contact part of a base portion end of the gas-tight plug coming into contact with a base of the pressing mechanism has a circular flat surface coaxial with the end portion, and the circular flat surface has a diameter more than 0.12 times and less than 0.2 times a total length of the gas-tight plug.