Fluid Supply System Open Valve Malfunction Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In fuel cell vehicles, open valve malfunctions in the shutoff valve can lead to continuous hydrogen supply, causing system malfunctions, and existing detection methods are prone to false positives when the tank is being filled, leading to unnecessary system stoppages and reliability issues.

Innovation Solution

A fluid supply system with a controller that stops processing to determine open valve malfunctions when the fill detector indicates the system is in a supplying state, using pressure detectors to assess valve functionality and prevent false detections by distinguishing between filling and normal operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the open valve malfunction detection processing is continuously executed, then the reliability of valve status monitoring is improved, but false positives occur during tank filling causing unnecessary system stoppages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalve status monitoring reliabilityVSAvoidfalse positive detections during filling

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The controller preliminarily determines whether the tank is in a filling state by detecting the operation state of the fill valve before executing the open valve malfunction detection. This preliminary action allows the system to distinguish between legitimate pressure changes during filling and actual valve malfunctions, preventing false positives while maintaining monitoring reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from the fill detector about the filling state to dynamically adjust the malfunction detection logic. When filling is detected, the system suppresses false alarm generation; when filling is not occurring, the system maintains sensitive malfunction detection, creating an adaptive feedback mechanism that resolves the contradiction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the shutoff valve remains closed during filling to prevent false malfunction detection, then false positives are reduced, but the system cannot respond to actual open valve malfunctions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefalse positive detectionsVSAvoidmalfunction detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The malfunction detection processing is made dynamic by enabling it only when the fill detector indicates the tank is not in a filling state. This dynamic control allows the system to maintain high reliability during normal operation while avoiding false positives during filling, resolving the contradiction between detection accuracy and false alarm reduction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the system stops malfunction detection during filling, then false positives are eliminated, but detection capability is reduced during a critical operation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefalse positive detectionsVSAvoiddetection capability during filling

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful aspect of malfunction detection (false positives during filling) is extracted and separated from the useful aspect (malfunction detection capability). By taking out the detection processing during filling operations and executing it only during non-filling periods, the system eliminates false positives while maintaining full detection capability when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 approach effectively prevents false determinations of open valve malfunctions during tank filling, enhancing system reliability by avoiding unnecessary stoppages and ensuring accurate valve status assessment.

Implementation Method 1

a pressure detector provided in the fluid supply channel... execute a processing to determine open valve malfunctions in the shutoff valve on the basis of a rate of change in a pressure value which is input from the pressure detector

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure detection:

Implementation Method 2

a fill detector configured to detect that the fluid supply system is in a supplying state in which fluid is to be supplied to the tank via the fluid fill channel

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow detection:

Implementation Method 3

a tank to store fluid that is changable in volume in accordance with change in pressure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompressibility:

Data Source

PatentUS9293774B2Fluid supply system and method of controlling fluid supply system

Publication Date: 2016.03.22 HONDA MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A fluid supply system includes a tank, a shutoff valve, a fluid fill channel, a fluid supply channel, a fill detector, a pressure detector, and a controller. The shutoff valve includes a shared channel to enable fluid to flow from a fill hole to the tank and to flow from the tank to a fluid usage device. The pressure detector is provided in the fluid supply channel. The controller is configured to output a close instruction to the shutoff valve and configured to execute a processing to determine open valve malfunctions in the shutoff valve based on changes in pressure values which are input from the pressure detector. The controller stops the processing to determine open valve malfunctions when the fill detector detects that the fluid supply system is in the supplying state.