Flapper Valve Misfuelling Prevention for Diesel Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional misfuelling prevention systems fail to effectively prevent the filling of wrong fuel in diesel vehicles, as they do not account for the insertion of diesel guns with diameters of 31 mm and allow gasoline guns to open the fuel filling port, leading to engine damage and accidents.
Innovation Solution
A misfuelling prevention apparatus that uses a flapper mechanism, selectively opened only by diesel guns with larger diameters, and prevents the internal housing from being pushed leftwards or rightwards by gasoline guns, ensuring the flapper remains closed, thereby preventing the filling of wrong fuels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional misfuelling prevention system is used, then the structure is simple, but it fails to prevent gasoline guns from opening the fuel filling port, leading to misfuelling
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is divided into multiple functional components: an upper housing containing the filler neck, an internal housing with the flapper valve, a stopper mechanism, and a spring system. Each component performs a specific function in the misfuelling prevention sequence, allowing the complex prevention mechanism to be organized into manageable segments that work together systematically
Solution Approach 2:
The flapper valve is positioned in advance to block the filler neck opening before any fueling operation begins. The spring pre-loads the stopper into a position where it will be pushed by a diesel gun to trigger the flapper opening sequence. This preliminary positioning ensures that prevention is active before misfuelling can occur
Solution Approach 3:
The stopper acts as an intermediary element between the oil gun and the flapper valve. When a diesel gun is inserted, it pushes the stopper, which then rotates to release the flapper. This intermediary mechanism translates the physical presence of a correctly sized diesel gun into the opening of the valve, creating a reliable prevention system
2Ease of operation
If the fuel filling port is always accessible, then ease of operation is improved, but misfuelling accidents occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The flapper valve transitions from a closed static position to an open dynamic position based on the insertion of an oil gun. The stopper rotates dynamically in response to the gun's diameter, and the flapper swings open to allow fueling only when the correct gun is inserted. This dynamic behavior balances accessibility with safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the diameter parameter of the oil gun as the key differentiator. A diesel gun with a larger diameter (31mm) pushes the stopper to open the flapper, while a gasoline gun with a smaller diameter (21mm) cannot. This parameter-based control allows the port to be accessible to authorized guns while blocking unauthorized ones
3Reliability
If a diesel gun with large diameter is used, then misfuelling prevention is achieved, but the apparatus must accommodate larger dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The internal housing and flapper valve are positioned locally within the filler neck assembly at specific locations where they can be actuated by the diesel gun's diameter without requiring the entire filler neck opening to be large. The critical dimensioning is localized to the stopper and flapper interaction zone rather than the overall opening
Data Source
AI summary
A misfuelling prevention apparatus for vehicles can prevent a diesel vehicle from being filled with a wrong fuel. The apparatus for vehicles may include an upper housing at an entrance of a filler neck, an internal housing located at a bottom of the upper housing while being supported by an interior of the filler neck, a stopper and a stopper spring, and a flapper and a flapper spring. The stopper may be at one side of the internal housing to be rotated around a pin by a contact with an oil gun. One end of the flapper may be rotatably installed in a pin structure at an opposite side of the internal housing with respect to the stopper and the other end of the flapper may be caught in a recess of the stopper. The flapper is to be pushed and selectively opened by the oil gun.