Fuel Cell Industrial Vehicle Charging Plug Detection Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell-type industrial vehicles require complex charging operations due to the need for a charging lid and cover door configuration, which complicates the charging process and may lead to misalignment of the limit switch, necessitating fine adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A detection mechanism using a sensor with a pressing plate and limit switch is integrated into the fuel cell unit to detect the connection state between the charging plug and socket, allowing the controller to prohibit vehicle operations during charging without a charging lid and cover door, ensuring the vehicle does not move during fueling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a charging lid and cover door configuration is provided, then the charging plug is protected from the outside, but the charging operation becomes complicated and requires fine adjustment of the limit switch position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the charging lid and cover door configuration from the system. Instead of having a charging lid on the fuel cell unit and a cover door on the vehicle body, the design directly exposes the charging plug on the vehicle body side face, eliminating the need to open multiple doors for charging operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by placing the charging plug directly on the vehicle body rather than inside a protected compartment requiring lid and door openings. The limit switch is repositioned to detect charging plug connection state without requiring alignment with a charging lid, thus eliminating the need for fine position adjustments.
2Reliability
If a charging lid is provided on the fuel cell unit, then the charging plug is blocked from the outside, but the charging lid must be opened before connecting the charging socket, complicating the charging process
Solution Approach 1:
The charging lid is completely removed from the fuel cell unit. The charging plug is directly mounted on the vehicle body side face, eliminating the need for a charging lid and its associated opening/closing mechanism and limit switch alignment requirements.
3Measurement precision
If the limit switch position is finely adjusted to align with the fuel cell unit and cover door positions, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and adjustment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the limit switch to align with a charging lid and cover door, the patent repositions the limit switch to detect the charging plug connection state directly. The limit switch is mounted on the vehicle body to detect when the charging socket is connected to the charging plug, eliminating the need for complex alignment with multiple moving parts.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel cell-type industrial vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a vehicle main body in which a fuel cell unit is installed, and controller configured to control operations of the vehicle main body. The fuel cell unit includes a charging plug which is connectable to a charging socket for supplying fuel gas, and a detection mechanism configured to detect the connection state between the charging plug and the charging socket. The detection mechanism includes a sensor having an output signal that shifts in accordance with the connection state of the charging socket relative to the charging plug. The controller prohibits operation of the vehicle main body after determining, on the basis of the output signal of the sensor, that the charging socket is connected to the charging plug.