Internal Combustion Engine Purge Pump for Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for internal combustion engines fail to efficiently integrate the functions of purging hydrocarbon storage units and detecting leaks in the exhaust gas line and tank, leading to suboptimal emission control and energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device with a pump integrated into the exhaust gas line and connecting line, capable of generating overpressure or underpressure, which facilitates both purging and leak detection by transporting ambient air through a hydrocarbon storage unit to the engine, while using sensors for precise hydrocarbon content measurement and regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple pumps are used to separate purging and leak detection functions, then functional reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single pump is designed to perform multiple functions: it can generate overpressure for leak detection mode and transport purging air during purging mode. The pump's operational mode is controlled by the control unit based on signal inputs, allowing one component to replace what would traditionally require two separate pumps for distinct functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the purging function and leak detection function into a single integrated system using one pump. The control unit coordinates the pump's operation to serve both purposes, merging previously separate functional systems into a unified design that reduces component count while maintaining operational reliability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If ambient air is used for purging, then energy efficiency is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives real-time signal input from the hydrocarbon sensor and continuously adjusts the pump's operation accordingly. When hydrocarbon levels are detected, the control unit modifies pump performance to optimize purging efficiency, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains precise measurement and efficient energy use simultaneously.
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 integration enhances the efficiency of the internal combustion engine by allowing precise regulation, reducing harmful emissions, and improving energy usage by utilizing ambient air for purging and leak detection, thereby enhancing engine performance and reducing unwanted emissions.
Implementation Method 1
the pump being designed and disposed in operative connection to the first and second shutoff valves, on the one hand for generating an overpressure or an underpressure in the exhaust gas line or the exhaust gas line and the tank
Implementation Method 2
on the other hand for transporting purging air, formed from ambient air sucked in from the surroundings with the aid of the connecting line and the hydrocarbon temporarily stored in the hydrocarbon storage unit, from the hydrocarbon storage unit to the internal combustion engine
Implementation Method 3
a hydrocarbon sensor, which is gas-conductively situated between the tank and the internal combustion engine with the aid of the exhaust gas line for measuring the hydrocarbon content in a purging air supplied to the internal combustion engine
Data Source
AI summary
A device for an internal combustion engine for the combustion of a gasoline-based liquid fuel, having a tank, which is gas-conductively connected to the internal combustion engine with the aid of an exhaust gas line and a first shutoff valve, a hydrocarbon storage unit, which is gas-conductively disposed between the tank and the internal combustion engine with the aid of the exhaust gas line, for temporarily storing gaseous hydrocarbon contained in an exhaust gas escaping from the tank, and a hydrocarbon sensor, which is gas-conductively disposed between the tank and the internal combustion engine with the aid of the exhaust gas line, for measuring the hydrocarbon content in a purging air supplied to the internal combustion engine, the hydrocarbon storage unit being connectable to the free surroundings with the aid of a connecting line and a second shutoff valve.