Modular Fuel Cell Harness for Isolated Control Signal Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell systems face challenges in mass production and customization for various vehicle applications due to complex integration of electrical components, particularly in hybrid vehicles where batteries and combustion engines are combined, leading to inefficiencies in production and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A modular fuel cell system architecture with a harness that includes electrically isolated lines for control signals, allowing for easy reconfiguration and customization by capping unused lines to complete circuits, ensuring system functionality and compatibility with different vehicle configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a complex integration of electrical components is used in hybrid vehicles to combine batteries and combustion engines, then system functionality is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical harness is divided into multiple isolated lines, each dedicated to specific power systems (battery, fuel cell, combustion engine). This segmentation allows independent routing and connection of each power source's control signals, reducing integration complexity while maintaining full system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces caps as intermediary components that can be placed on unused electrical connection points. These caps serve as mediators to complete open circuits in a controlled manner, preventing electrical interference while allowing flexible configuration of different power system combinations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a complex integration of electrical components is used in hybrid vehicles to combine batteries and combustion engines, then system functionality is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The harness is segmented into standardized, isolated lines that can be independently configured. This standardization enables modular assembly techniques in mass production, where pre-assembled harness modules can be quickly installed without complex custom wiring for each vehicle configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs configurable connection points that can be capped or connected based on the specific powertrain configuration. This parameter-based configuration allows the same harness design to serve multiple vehicle types (battery-only, fuel cell-only, hybrid combinations), significantly improving mass production efficiency while maintaining functionality.
3Reliability
If electrical lines are isolated from each other in the harness, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The harness uses physically isolated electrical lines for different power systems, with dedicated routing for battery, fuel cell, and combustion engine control signals. This segmentation prevents electrical interference and improves reliability while the modular design keeps the overall structure manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complexity of electrical isolation by using separate, dedicated lines for each power system rather than attempting to manage complex interconnected wiring. Each isolated line can be independently configured and capped, simplifying the management of electrical isolation requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided to modularizing a device. In various embodiments, the harness in provided that accommodates many different configurations of the modules. The harness may function as a single element that needs to be replaced and/or connected to accommodate different configurations of modules. The harness may be modular. In various embodiments, unused lines of the harness are capped. In various embodiments, the cap completes a circuit, so that the control system interprets the systems as functioning despite the unused line, whereas the control system may shutdown the system is the unused line is left uncapped. In various embodiments, the harness is used to send control signals to elements of parallel power systems that have high voltage systems that are electronically isolated from one another.