Tunable Injection Molded Resonator with Adjustable Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intake resonators require redesign and new tooling for slight changes in engine applications, and existing manufacturing methods lack control over internal geometry, making it difficult to tune resonators effectively for sound suppression or accentuation.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using a mold cavity and mold core to produce an integrated acoustic resonator with a plenum and connecting channel, where the length of the connecting channel is defined by a mold insert during injection molding, allowing for tuning of resonant frequencies and installation in air intake paths with adjustable potting compounds to alter the plenum volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If current resonator manufacturing methods (e.g., blow molding) are used, then production is simple, but control over internal geometry is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple components: a mold cavity, a mold core, and a removable insert. This segmentation allows the insert to be independently adjusted or replaced to modify the internal geometry of the resonator while keeping the overall mold structure intact, thereby achieving precise control over internal dimensions without complete remanufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert within the mold core can be positioned at different locations along the centerline, allowing dynamic adjustment of the connecting channel length. This dynamic configurability enables tuning of resonant frequencies by simply repositioning or replacing the insert, providing manufacturing flexibility without sacrificing precision.
2Reliability
If an acoustic resonator is tuned to a specific application, then acoustic performance is optimized, but any change in application requires complete redesign
Solution Approach 1:
The resonator design incorporates a connecting channel with variable length achieved through different insert positions. This allows the same basic resonator structure to be tuned to different resonant frequencies by adjusting the channel length, enabling adaptation to various acoustic applications without complete redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the length parameter of the connecting channel (through insert positioning), the resonant frequency of the acoustic resonator is adjusted. This parameter modification allows the resonator to be tuned for different acoustic performance requirements while maintaining the same overall structure and manufacturing process.
3Manufacturing precision
If the length of the connecting channel is increased, then resonant frequency is tuned lower, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting channel length is controlled by a separate insert component rather than being fixed in the main mold core. This segmentation allows the channel length to be adjusted by simply changing the insert position or using different insert lengths, achieving precise resonant frequency tuning without increasing the complexity of the overall mold system.
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 approach enables precise tuning of resonant frequencies without the need for new tooling, providing greater control over the internal geometry and allowing for the production of resonators tailored to specific applications with improved sound management.
Implementation Method 1
providing an insert fitting adjacent to the mold core that, during injection molding of the resonator, defines a length of the connecting channel
Implementation Method 2
a connecting channel in fluid communication with the plenum
Implementation Method 3
Intake resonators are one solution to these issues. Typically a resonator does not substantially affect the volume or actual pathway of the intake air, but provides various acoustic chambers adjacent to the air flow path through which sound may travel and/or be reflected
Implementation Method 4
The inner contour corresponds to a plenum, and a connecting channel in fluid communication with the plenum
Data Source
AI summary
A method including providing a mold cavity to produce an outer contour of an acoustic resonator and providing a mold core to produce an inner contour of the resonator. The inner contour corresponds to a plenum, and a connecting channel in fluid communication with the plenum. An insert fitting adjacent to the mold core defines a length of the connecting channel during injection molding of the resonator.