Conductive Plastic Fuel Filter Housing for Electrostatic Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor units for delivering fuel to internal combustion engines face increased production costs due to the need for electrostatic charge protection of components in contact with flowing liquids, complicating manufacturing and design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The housing of the fuel filter is electrically conductively connected to the fuel pump housing, using conductive plastic with additives like carbon or nanotubes, allowing for easy discharge of electrostatic charges and simplified production through injection molding, eliminating the need for additional safety devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional safety devices are added to dissipate electrostatic charges, then safety is improved, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fuel filter housing with the pump holder into a single integrated component. The pump holder is formed as an integral extension of the filter housing, creating a unified structure that eliminates the need for separate safety devices for electrostatic charge dissipation. This merging reduces device complexity while maintaining safety functionality through the conductive plastic material.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive plastic material inherently provides electrostatic charge dissipation capability without requiring additional active safety devices. The material's electrical conductivity enables it to automatically route and dissipate electrostatic charges to ground, making the system self-protecting without external safety components.
2Reliability
If metal housing is used for fuel filter, then electrostatic charge dissipation is improved, but manufacturing flexibility and design options are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs conductive plastic material that combines the benefits of both metal and conventional plastic. The plastic matrix provides design flexibility, ease of injection molding, and corrosion resistance, while embedded conductive additives (such as carbon black, metal particles, or nanotubes) provide the electrical conductivity needed for electrostatic charge dissipation. This composite material achieves both requirements simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the electrical conductivity parameter of the plastic material by adding conductive fillers. This parameter modification enables the plastic to dissipate electrostatic charges like metal while retaining the manufacturing advantages of plastic, including design flexibility and ease of forming complex shapes through injection molding.
3Ease of operation
If pump holder and filter housing are separate components, then assembly flexibility is improved, but production time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump holder is formed as an integral extension of the filter housing through injection molding, creating a single-piece component. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps between the pump holder and filter housing, reducing production time and complexity while maintaining the functional relationship between these components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump holder is pre-formed as part of the filter housing during the injection molding process itself, rather than being manufactured separately and assembled later. This preliminary integration of the pump holder structure into the main housing component streamlines production and reduces the number of manufacturing steps required.
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
This configuration reduces production costs and enhances design adaptability while effectively dissipating electrostatic charges, ensuring safe and efficient fuel delivery to internal combustion engines.
Implementation Method 1
The electrically conductive connection between the two housings means that electrostatic charges on the fuel filter can be routed in a particularly simple manner to the fuel pump, which is grounded via its power supply
Implementation Method 2
The electrical conductivity of the fuel filter housing is achieved in a simple manner by adding carbon in the form of soot or nanotubes or metal particles
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a pump unit for pumping fuel from a fuel reservoir to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, comprising a fuel pump, which is disposed in a swirl pot and has a housing made of metal, and a fuel filter, which is disposed downstream of the fuel pump. The housing of the fuel filter is connected to the housing of the fuel pump in an electrically conductive manner.