Fuel Cap Valve Cleaning via Engine Negative Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foreign substances, such as insects, can become stuck in the negative-pressure valve body of a fuel cap, leading to operational issues and increased maintenance costs due to clogged air breather passages and the need for periodic mesh filter replacement.
Innovation Solution
A system that controls engine negative pressure to a predetermined level or applies repetitive opening and closing cycles to the negative-pressure valve body, using a controller to manage the canister-closing valve and purge valve, allowing for air to be supplied and causing chattering to clean the valve body without additional filters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mesh filter is mounted inside the fuel cap to filter foreign substances, then the negative-pressure valve body is protected from foreign substances, but the air breather passage becomes clogged due to accumulation of foreign substances in the filter, requiring periodic replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mesh filter from the system entirely. Instead of filtering foreign substances before they reach the valve body, the system allows foreign substances to enter the air breather passage and then uses negative pressure to extract and remove them through the canister system, eliminating the need for filter replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the engine's own negative pressure during operation to automatically clean the air breather passage. The negative pressure drawn during engine operation naturally draws foreign substances away from the valve body and through the canister, providing self-cleaning functionality without additional maintenance
2Device complexity
If the negative-pressure valve body operates continuously without cleaning, then the system structure remains simple, but foreign substances accumulate and cause operational failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic cleaning cycles where the negative pressure is applied at regular intervals to flush foreign substances from the air breather passage. This periodic action maintains reliability without requiring continuous complex cleaning mechanisms, balancing simplicity with effective maintenance
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
Effectively removes stuck foreign substances by air flow and vibration, reducing maintenance costs and preventing clogging, while maintaining the fuel cap's functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The negative-pressure valve body 120 includes a spring 130, which is compressed when opening the valve body 120, and exerts elastic restoration force when closing the valve body 120.
Implementation Method 2
While the engine is running, the negative pressure of the engine is applied from the engine intake system to the fuel tank through the canister, causing the negative-pressure valve body of the fuel cap to be opened.
Implementation Method 3
a negative-pressure control mechanism for controlling an engine negative pressure, which is applied from the engine intake system to the negative-pressure valve body of the fuel cap through the canister and the fuel tank, to reach a predetermined level or more
Implementation Method 4
enables separation and removal of foreign substances stuck in a negative-pressure valve body of a fuel cap by controlling the negative pressure of an engine at a predetermined interval to supply air to the negative-pressure valve body
Implementation Method 5
or by imparting chattering of repeating opening and closing the negative-pressure valve body of the fuel cap
Data Source
AI summary
A system for cleaning a fuel cap valve of a vehicle, may include a fuel cap having an air breather passage and a negative-pressure valve body configured for opening or closing the air breather passage; a canister for collecting evaporated gas inside a fuel tank to supply the evaporated gas into an engine intake system; and a negative-pressure control mechanism for controlling an engine negative pressure, which is applied from the engine intake system to the negative-pressure valve body of the fuel cap through the canister and the fuel tank, to reach a predetermined level or more, or for controlling the engine negative pressure at a repetition interval, in a fuel cap cleaning mode for cleaning the negative-pressure valve body of the fuel cap.