Fuel Quality Sensor Display for Misfuelling Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current operating fluid tank systems for motor vehicles lack adequate safety and fraud protection, as they do not accurately determine the quality and quantity of fluids being filled, potentially leading to incorrect fuel types or inferior quality, which can damage engines and result in overpayment.
Innovation Solution
An operating fluid container system equipped with a quality and filling level sensor that transmits data to a display device and tank control unit, providing real-time feedback on fluid properties and levels, including ethanol content, octane number, and sulfur content, and can automatically stop filling if incorrect or substandard fuel is detected, ensuring accurate filling and preventing engine damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional filling devices are used without quality sensors, then the filling process is simple and fast, but the driver cannot verify the quality and quantity of fuel, leading to misfuelling and fraud
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by equipping the filling system with quality sensors that continuously monitor fuel properties (ethanol content, octane number, sulfur content) and transmit this information to a display device. This allows the driver to verify fuel quality in real-time, transforming the traditional open-loop filling process into a closed-loop system with verification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual verification methods with automated sensor-based detection. Instead of relying on driver trust or simple mechanical filling mechanisms, the system uses electronic sensors and data transmission to automatically measure and display fuel quality parameters, substituting mechanical simplicity with electronic intelligence.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If no quality sensors are installed, then the system remains simple and cost-effective, but incorrect fuel types can be filled causing engine damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing fuel quality verification before the fuel is introduced into the vehicle's tank. The sensors detect fuel properties during the filling process itself, allowing the driver to confirm correctness before completion. This preventive approach stops misfuelling before it reaches the engine.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification system between the filling device and the vehicle's fuel system. The sensors and display device act as intermediaries that mediate the filling process by providing independent quality verification, separating the act of filling from the act of verification to ensure objectivity.
3Measurement precision
If manual filling verification is used, then the system remains simple, but drivers may be overcharged for incorrect fuel quantities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback for quantity verification by using sensors to continuously monitor the fuel level and transmission characteristics during filling. The system compares expected versus actual filling rates and quantities, providing real-time feedback to the driver through the display device to confirm accurate measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual quantity verification with electronic sensing and calculation. Instead of relying on visual estimation or simple mechanical gauges, the system uses sensors to detect fuel properties and calculate precise quantities, substituting approximate mechanical methods with precise electronic measurement.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses an operating liquid container system comprising at least one operating fluid container (10), a quality and/or filling level sensor (70), which is arranged in the operating liquid container (10), for determining at least one quality characteristic of the operating liquid which is contained in the operating liquid container (10) and/or a filling level of the operating liquid container (10), and a display device (75) which is arranged in a tank recess and/or tank flap of the operating fluid container system, wherein the operating liquid container system has the following characteristics: the display device (75) is connected to the quality and/or filling level sensor (70) by means of a data line (100) for transmitting data from the quality and/or filling level sensor (70) to the display device (75), wherein the data represents at least one quality characteristic of the operating liquid which is contained in the operating liquid container (10) and/or the filling level of the operating liquid container (10); and the display device (75) is designed to display the data which represents the at least one quality characteristic and/or the filling level.