Vacuum Insulation Panel Sealing With a Folded Casing Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in manufacturing vacuum insulation bodies lies in achieving a reliable and vacuum-tight sealing of the opening in the casing, as the existing methods lack a defined surface for mounting or placing a cover film, leading to difficulties in sealing and potential soiling or dust contamination during the filling process.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a vacuum insulation body design where the casing is folded inward and then outward to create a reduced opening size, which is then sealed by a vacuum-tight cover film, optionally using an auxiliary structure to form a flat sealing surface, allowing for a secure and dust-minimized sealing process. This method can be enhanced by using high-barrier films and aluminum compound foils, and the filling is done without fluidizing the core material, ensuring efficient filling and sealing without air movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the casing is provided with an opening for filling with core material, then the filling process can be performed, but the opening cannot be sealed in a vacuum-tight manner due to lack of defined sealing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is folded inwards in the edge region protruding towards the opening before sealing, to pre-create a defined sealing surface. This preliminary folding action prepares the casing edge to receive the cover film and form a vacuum-tight seal, resolving the contradiction between needing an opening for filling and requiring a reliable sealing surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a two-dimensional opening surface to a three-dimensional folded structure. By folding the casing edge inwards and then outwards, a flange-like structure is created that provides a defined sealing surface in a new spatial dimension, enabling vacuum-tight sealing while maintaining the filling opening.
2Productivity
If the opening is kept large for easy filling, then filling efficiency is improved, but sealing reliability deteriorates due to lack of defined sealing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The opening region is segmented into two functional zones: a large inner opening area for efficient filling and an outer folded edge region for reliable sealing. This segmentation allows the opening to serve both purposes - maintaining large size for filling efficiency while creating a separate defined sealing surface for vacuum-tight closure.
Solution Approach 2:
The folded edge region acts as an intermediary structure between the large opening and the cover film. This intermediate folded flange provides the defined sealing surface needed for reliable sealing, while the main opening remains large enough for efficient filling operations.
3Reliability
If the casing edge is folded inwards and then outwards to create sealing surface, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is designed as a flexible film structure that can be folded inwards and outwards to create the sealing flange. This flexible film approach allows the complex folded structure to be formed from a simple continuous material without rigid components or joints, minimizing actual device complexity while achieving reliable sealing.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a vacuum insulation body comprising a vacuum-tight casing which surrounds an evacuated region, wherein a core material is arranged in the evacuated region, wherein the casing includes an opening for filling the casing with the core material, which is covered by a vacuum-tight cover film, wherein the casing is folded inwards in the edge region protruding towards the opening, so that the opening is reduced in size, and subsequently again is folded outwards, wherein the region folded outwards and a region of the cover film are vacuum-tightly connected with each other all around.