Urea Reservoir Filler Neck Nozzle Deflection Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filler neck designs for liquid reservoirs, such as those for urea reservoirs in vehicles, suffer from poor filling performance due to inadequate support of the filler nozzle, leading to deflection and turbulence during refilling, and are complex and costly due to the use of an annular magnet encapsulated in a plastic housing.
Innovation Solution
A filler neck design where the filling inlet funnel is integrally formed with the top housing portion and extends into a second receiving structure in the bottom housing portion, providing robust support against loads and eliminating deflection, and uses a magnet directly attached to the top housing portion without a separate plastic housing, allowing for simple and cost-effective attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the filler nozzle is poorly supported in the inlet nozzle, then the device complexity is reduced, but the filling performance deteriorates due to nozzle deflection and turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing enhanced support specifically at the inlet nozzle region where the filler nozzle connects, while keeping other parts of the structure simple. The inlet nozzle is designed with a receiving structure that includes support surfaces and positioning features localized at the connection point, ensuring stable filler nozzle support without complicating the overall device structure.
2Reliability
If an annular magnet is encapsulated in a liquid-tight plastic housing, then the magnet attachment is secure, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the magnet mounting function directly into the inlet nozzle structure. The magnet is mounted on the outer circumference of the inlet nozzle, eliminating the need for a separate plastic housing. The inlet nozzle itself serves as both the fluid conduit and the magnet mounting substrate, combining multiple functions into a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the unnecessary plastic housing from the design. By mounting the magnet directly on the inlet nozzle, the intermediate plastic housing component is removed entirely. This simplifies the structure, reduces manufacturing steps, and eliminates the need for liquid-tight encapsulation while maintaining reliable magnet attachment.
Data Source
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AI summary
Filler neck (1) for a urea reservoir, having a neck housing (7) defining a first receiving structure for a filler nozzle and a filling channel (9) into a filling tube of the reservoir or directly into the reservoir, said neck housing (7) comprising a top housing portion (11b) with a mouth hole stub (8), a bottom housing portion (11a), and a filling inlet funnel (14), wherein the filling inlet funnel (14) is integrally formed with the top housing portion (11b), the bottom housing portion (11a) includes a second receiving structure for the filling inlet funnel (14), and wherein the filling inlet funnel (14) extends into said second receiving structure of said bottom housing portion (11a).