Stacked Coolant Valve Wings for Compact Engine Thermal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coolant control valve units have a complex structure and large volume due to multiple valve members, limiting design freedom and increasing weight, while struggling to efficiently manage coolant temperatures across various engine components, which affects fuel efficiency and performance.
Innovation Solution
A coolant control valve device with a simplified structure featuring valve wings of different heights for independent control of coolant passages, utilizing a single driver to open and close multiple inlets with varying heights, and a passage separation partition to manage coolant flow efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple valve members are arranged on a plane in a single valve housing to control coolant distribution, then the coolant control function is improved, but the overall size and weight of the valve unit are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into multiple stacked layers, each layer containing specific coolant passages and valve members. This segmentation allows the valve unit to control multiple coolant distribution paths while maintaining a compact vertical structure, reducing the overall footprint and weight compared to a single-plane arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar arrangement of valve members to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. By arranging valve members and passages in multiple vertical layers, the design achieves complex coolant control functionality within a smaller horizontal footprint, effectively reducing the overall valve unit size and weight.
2Reliability
If multiple valve members are arranged on a plane in a single valve housing, then coolant distribution control is achieved, but the design freedom and arrangement flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The valve housing is segmented into multiple stackable layers, each capable of being independently designed and configured. This modular segmentation provides greater design freedom, allowing engineers to optimize each layer's coolant passages and valve members according to specific performance requirements, while maintaining overall system integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The stacked layer configuration enables dynamic arrangement flexibility, where layers can be stacked in different sequences or configurations to adapt to various engine layouts and coolant distribution requirements. This dynamic design approach enhances versatility without compromising control functionality.
3Manufacturing precision
If various valves are used to open and close coolant passages, then precise coolant flow control is achieved, but the structural complexity and volume of the valve unit are increased
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple valve members that would traditionally require separate housings and mounting structures are merged into a single integrated valve body with stacked layers. Each layer contains its coolant passages and valve members in a unified structure, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall assembly while maintaining precise flow control capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The stacked valve structure serves multiple functions within a single device: each layer can independently control different coolant passages, and the modular design allows the same basic valve mechanism to be replicated across multiple layers. This multi-functionality reduces structural complexity compared to implementing each control function as a separate valve assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A coolant control valve device may include a plurality of coolant passages through which a coolant passes; a valve including a plurality of valve wings, wherein each of the valve wings is disposed at an inlet of each of the coolant passages, respectively and has different heights from each other; and a driver moving the valve in a vertical direction thereof, wherein the valve opens and closes some or all of a plurality of inlets with a difference in time, depending on a movement range of the valve.