Vehicle Active Air Flap Defect Diagnosis via Dual Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active air flap apparatuses for vehicles cannot accurately diagnose defects in sensors and mechanical connection mechanisms, leading to misdiagnosis and operational errors due to the lack of comprehensive defect diagnosis methods, especially when flaps are frozen or obstructed by foreign materials.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs two positional sensors connected to the drive and driven flaps, along with a controller that monitors feedback voltage values and current applied to the motor to determine sensor, link mechanism, and motor defects, preventing misdiagnosis by comparing sensor values and detecting abnormal conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only one sensor is used to detect drive flap position, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision and reliability of defect diagnosis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing sensors at different locations (drive flap and driven flap) to detect different aspects of system performance. Each sensor provides localized measurement data that, when combined, enables comprehensive defect diagnosis with higher precision than a single sensor could achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that receives and compares data from multiple sensors to diagnose defects. By introducing this intermediary processing layer, the system can accurately identify whether defects originate from sensors, link mechanisms, or motors without requiring excessive sensor quantity.
2Reliability
If comprehensive defect diagnosis is implemented using multiple sensors and comparison methods, then the reliability of defect diagnosis is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring sensor outputs and comparing expected versus actual positions. The controller uses feedback from both sensors to determine whether defects exist in sensors, link mechanisms, or motors, achieving high reliability through systematic feedback analysis rather than complex hardware additions.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagnosis system performs self-service by using its own sensor data to identify defects. The controller automatically compares sensor readings and diagnoses problems without requiring external diagnostic equipment, improving reliability while keeping the system self-contained and not excessively complex.
3Ease of operation
If sensor values are used without verification, then the ease of operation is maintained, but the reliability of flap operation deteriorates due to misdiagnosis when sensors are defective
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of sensor values by comparing readings from both sensors before using them for control decisions. This preliminary check prevents defective sensor data from causing misdiagnosis or improper flap operation, ensuring reliability without significantly complicating the operation process.
Data Source
AI summary
An active air flap apparatus for a vehicle may include a drive flap positional sensor connected with a drive shaft connecting an actuator and a drive flap and detecting a rotational angle of the drive flap, a driven flap pivotally connected with the drive flap through a link mechanism, a driven flap positional sensor connected with a driven shaft pivotally connected with the link member and detecting a rotational angle of the driven flap, and a controller determining whether the drive flap positional sensor, the driven flap positional sensor, a motor of the actuator, and the link member may be defective by monitoring a feedback voltage value of the drive flap positional sensor, a feedback voltage value of the driven flap positional sensor, and a current applied to the motor of the actuator.