Fuel Cell Compressor Impeller Tuning for Driver Sound Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicles equipped with fuel cells lack a satisfactory sound experience, which reduces driver pleasure and awareness of the vehicle's operating conditions, particularly in the absence of a thermal engine.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle with at least one fuel cell and a centrifugal compressor-based supply assembly that compresses a reagent, such as air, to enhance the sound spectrum, mimicking the sound experience of thermal engine vehicles by altering the impeller blade design and using sound reproduction equipment to transpose and amplify the sound.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a fuel cell system is used to eliminate thermal engines, then harmful emissions are reduced, but sound emission and driver awareness are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of compressor noise into a beneficial feedback signal for the driver. The sound reproduction equipment captures the compressor's operational sounds and transposes them to mimic thermal engine sounds, transforming a harmful noise into useful feedback that enhances driver awareness and pleasure without compromising the environmental benefits of fuel cell technology.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a fuel cell system is used to eliminate thermal engines, then environmental benefits are improved, but driver pleasure and awareness are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sound reproduction equipment as an intermediary between the compressor and the driver. This intermediary captures the compressor's operational sounds, transposes them to appropriate frequency ranges, and reproduces them through speakers, creating a mediating audio feedback system that restores the driver-vehicle connection absent in pure electric vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copied version of thermal engine sounds by capturing the compressor's operational characteristics and transposing them to mimic the acoustic signature of a thermal engine. This copying approach allows the vehicle to reproduce authentic engine sounds without actually having a thermal engine, preserving driver familiarity and pleasure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the impeller blade design is modified to alter sound spectrum, then sound emission is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the impeller blade design by changing geometric parameters such as blade profile, length, and distribution around the inlet axis. These parameter changes alter the compressor's sound spectrum to generate more pleasant and informative sounds while maintaining the functional performance of the compression system.
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
The solution provides a more engaging and informative sound experience for the driver, enhancing their connection with the vehicle's operation while maintaining the environmental benefits of fuel cell technology.
Implementation Method 1
a centrifugal compressor configured to compress the reagent and comprising an impeller
Implementation Method 2
the fuel cell is supplied with a fuel, usually hydrogen, that crosses the fuel cell coming in and out via special inlet and outlet openings. In addition, the fuel cell is traversed by the flow of a reagent, usually oxygen, suitable for causing an electrochemical reaction with the fuel, so that the electrochemical reaction produces a flow of electrons, i.e. an electric current
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle includes a fuel cell and a supply assembly to supply the fuel cell is disclosed. The supply assembly comprises a centrifugal compressor to compress a reagent and comprising an impeller having in turn a shaft portion extending along an inlet axis, a circumferential edge extending ringwise around the inlet axis, a connecting portion extending from the shaft portion to the circumferential edge, first and second blades projecting from the connecting portion, of which each of the second blades is arranged between two corresponding blades to form two respective radial flow channels for the reagent, wherein the first and second blades have respective profiles along respective curvilinear abscissae with shapes equal to each other and located uniformly distributed according to a period or angular step around the inlet axis, wherein the profiles of the second blades are shorter than those of the first blades.