External Power Feed Relay for Electric Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing external power feed systems for fuel cell vehicles lack effective methods for detecting and isolating electric leaks, which can lead to power loss and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
An external power feed system with an external electric leak detector and a controller that turns off the external power feed relay upon detecting a leak, while also using an internal electric leak detector to validate or invalidate its own readings based on the relay's state, allowing for accurate leak detection and isolation of the affected area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an external electric leak detector is connected to the external power feed device to detect electric leaks, then the ability to detect electric leaks in the external power feed system is improved, but the complexity of the system increases due to multiple detectors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides electric leak detection into two separate functions: an external electric leak detector for detecting leaks in the external power feed device, and an internal electric leak detector for detecting leaks in the vehicle's power supply device. This segmentation allows each detector to specialize in its respective detection area, improving overall detection accuracy while maintaining manageable system complexity through clear functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The external power feed relay acts as an intermediary component that physically connects and disconnects the external power feed device from the vehicle's power supply. By controlling the relay's on/off state, the system can isolate the external device when leaks are detected, enabling accurate determination of leak sources without requiring complex direct monitoring of all possible failure points.
2Reliability
If the external power feed relay is turned off when an electric leak is detected, then power loss and safety hazards are prevented, but the productivity of the external power feed system decreases due to interruption of power supply
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the external electric leak detector continuously monitors the external power feed device, and when a leak is detected, the controller automatically turns off the external power feed relay. This closed-loop feedback ensures rapid response to safety hazards while minimizing unnecessary interruptions, as the relay only disconnects when actual leaks are detected rather than operating continuously in a fixed state.
Solution Approach 2:
The external power feed relay transitions from a static connection state to a dynamic state that can switch between connected and disconnected based on real-time detection results. This dynamic control allows the system to maintain power feed continuity during normal operation (high productivity) while rapidly isolating faults when leaks occur (high safety), optimizing both contradictory requirements through adaptive state changes.
3Measurement precision
If the internal electric leak detector is used to detect electric leaks in the power supply device, then the ability to identify internal leaks is improved, but erroneous detections may occur due to influence from the external power feed device
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the external power feed device from the internal detection circuit by using the external power feed relay to physically disconnect it when needed. This extraction eliminates the interfering influence of the external device on the internal electric leak detector, allowing the detector to accurately monitor only the vehicle's power supply device without false signals from external connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller preliminarily determines the state of the external power feed relay before validating internal electric leak detection results. By checking whether the relay is connected or disconnected, the system can pre-adjust its interpretation of detector readings, invalidating internal detector results when the external device is connected (to avoid false positives) and validating them when disconnected (ensuring accurate internal leak detection).
4Reliability
If both external and internal electric leak detectors are used with validation mechanisms, then the reliability of leak source identification is improved, but the device complexity and control logic increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control logic is segmented into distinct validation rules based on the external power feed relay state: when the relay is ON, internal detector results are invalidated and only external detector results are trusted; when the relay is OFF, internal detector results are validated. This segmentation of control logic into simple conditional branches based on relay state avoids the need for complex algorithms while maintaining high reliability in leak source identification.
Data Source
AI summary
An external power feed system includes a vehicle and an external power feed device disposed outside the vehicle. The external power feed device includes an external electric leak detector configured to detect an electric leak. The vehicle includes a power supply device configured to supply electric power to the external power feed device. The vehicle includes an external power feed relay. The external power feed relay is disposed between the external power feed device and the power supply device when the external power feed device is connected to the vehicle. The vehicle includes a controller configured to control the external power feed relay such that the external power feed relay is turned off when the external electric leak detector detects an electric leak.