Side-Blown Wheel Cooling for Selective Vehicle Brake Testing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle testing devices are limited in their ability to selectively cool specific parts of a tire-wheel assembly, such as brakes, and struggle to improve cooling efficiency due to a fixed air outlet configuration.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle testing device with a cooling system that allows air to be blown from the side of the test piece, utilizing a wind direction adjuster to target specific areas like tire, wheel, brake pads, or brake disks, and an air volume controller to adjust airflow based on vehicle speed and temperature.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If air is blown from a fixed air outlet at the floor ahead of the roller, then the cooling device structure is simple, but it is difficult to selectively cool specific parts such as brakes and cooling efficiency is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselective cooling capabilityVSAvoidcooling device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The air outlet is made movable along the roller's axial direction, allowing dynamic adjustment of the air outlet position to target different parts of the tire-wheel assembly. This dynamic positioning capability enables selective cooling of specific components without requiring multiple fixed air outlets, thus improving adaptability while controlling device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The movable air outlet serves multiple cooling functions by being positioned at different locations along the roller's axial direction. A single air outlet structure can cool various parts including the tire, wheel, and brake components by adjusting its position, replacing the need for multiple dedicated air outlets for each component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If air is blown directly to the tire-wheel assembly, then the cooling path is direct, but the contact area with the assembly is limited and overall cooling efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidair contact area
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling approach transitions from direct axial blowing to side-direction blowing. By positioning the air outlet to blow air from the side toward the wheel accommodation space, the cooling air can wrap around and contact multiple surfaces of the tire-wheel assembly simultaneously, dramatically increasing the effective contact area and improving overall cooling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

Enables flexible cooling of specific parts, improving efficiency by allowing direct air circulation within the wheel accommodation space, effectively cooling the entire tire-wheel assembly more efficiently than previous systems.

Implementation Method 1

a cooling device that sends air from a side of the test piece toward at least a part of the test piece in order to cool the test piece placed on the rotating body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3825675B1Vehicle testing device
Publication Date: 2024.01.10 HORIBA LTD
  • EP3825675B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3825675B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3825675B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle testing device including a cooling device, which is capable of freely selecting a part to be cooled and a wind direction in accordance with a purpose of a test is provided. The vehicle testing device that tests a test piece that is a vehicle or a part of the vehicle includes a rotating body on which the test piece is placed, and a cooling device that sends air from a side of the test piece to at least a part of the test piece in order to cool the test piece placed on the rotating body.