Universal Fluid Reservoir Cap with Adjustable Clamp
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing universal cap devices for reservoir vessels in hydraulic and cooling systems face challenges in securely sealing a wide range of inlet sizes and shapes, leading to potential air ingress and leakage during maintenance and fluid replacement operations, particularly in confined engine compartments.
Innovation Solution
A universal cap device with a clamp mechanism featuring movable jaws and a conical sealing surface, supported by a carriage and drive device, allowing for secure engagement with various inlet diameters and shapes, and equipped with a quick-release locking system for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a universal cap device with a seal element is used to fit a wide range of inlet diameters, then the adaptability to different reservoir sizes is improved, but the reliability of the sealing contact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp device incorporates a movable jaw that can be adjusted along the beam to dynamically adapt to different inlet diameters. The carriage can slide along the beam to position the cap element at the correct location for each specific inlet size, transforming a static universal design into a dynamically adjustable one that maintains reliable sealing contact across varying dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows changing of geometric parameters (clamping position, carriage position, cap element depth) to match different inlet specifications. By adjusting the movable jaw position and carriage location, the physical parameters of the clamping arrangement are optimized for each specific inlet diameter, ensuring both universality and sealing reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the clamp device includes a movable jaw and carriage system for adjustable positioning, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp device is segmented into distinct functional modules: the fixed jaw, the movable jaw on the beam, the carriage on the beam, and the cap element on the carriage. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while simplifying the overall adjustment process - the movable jaw handles diameter adaptation and the carriage handles positioning, dividing the complexity into manageable parts.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
AI summary
A universal cap device (1) provides a temporary capping for an inlet opening of a reservoir vessel (26). The device (1) has a clamp device (2) with opposed, first (4) and second (6), jaws, for clamping engagement with a reservoir neck (24). The jaws are mounted on at least one beam (8, 10), at least one of the jaws (4,6) is movable relative to the other. The at least one beam (8, 10) mounts a carriage (14) which has a cap element support (16), supporting a downwardly projecting cap element (20), via a drive device (17,18) for controlled downward displacement of the cap element (20) into sealing engagement the inlet opening. The cap element (20) has a sealing surface (22) that can sealingly engage the inlet openings of various different reservoirs (26).