Exhaust Purifier Cleaning Using a Vehicle Grid Box Load

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for cleaning exhaust gas purifying devices in diesel engines increase weight and costs due to the need for additional batteries or resistors, and can cause thermal damage.

Innovation Solution

A transportation vehicle with a diesel engine, generator, traveling motor, and grid box, controlled by a controller to manage electric power generation and consumption, allowing the grid box to consume additional power to increase exhaust gas temperature for cleaning without additional components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a battery is added to store electric power for cleaning the exhaust gas purifying device, then the cleaning function can be realized, but the weight and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning functionVSAvoidvehicle weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The grid box, which is already part of the vehicle's electrical system for consuming regenerative braking energy, is utilized to consume the additional electric power generated during cleaning operation. This eliminates the need for a separate battery system, as the existing grid box performs the energy consumption function that would otherwise require additional storage components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The grid box is designed to serve multiple functions: consuming regenerative braking energy under normal operation and consuming additional electric power generated during exhaust gas purifying device cleaning. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve cleaning capability without adding dedicated components for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If a resistor is installed inside the muffler to consume electric power for cleaning, then the cleaning function can be realized, but the weight and costs of the muffler increase and thermal damage occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning functionVSAvoidthermal damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The electric power consumption function is extracted from the exhaust system (muffler) and relocated to the grid box, which is positioned away from the high-temperature exhaust environment. This separation removes the harmful thermal exposure from the power consumption component while maintaining the cleaning functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The grid box serves as an intermediary component that receives additional electric power from the generator and converts it to heat for cleaning the exhaust gas purifying device, without requiring direct thermal exposure in the exhaust path. This intermediary approach enables power consumption while avoiding direct contact with high-temperature exhaust gases.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 enables effective cleaning of the exhaust gas purifying device while preventing weight and cost increases, utilizing existing components to manage power consumption efficiently.

Implementation Method 1

a grid box that converts the electric power generated by at least one of the generator or the traveling motor into heat to consume the electric power

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 2

a generator that generates an electric power using a driving force of the diesel engine

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 3

a traveling motor that generates a driving force for rotating a tire using the electric power generated by the generator, and generates an electric power through braking of the tire

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4682358A1Transportation vehicle
Publication Date: 2026.01.21 HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO LTD
  • EP4682358A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4682358A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4682358A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A transportation vehicle capable of realizing a cleaning function of an exhaust gas purifying device while suppressing increase in the weight and costs. The transportation vehicle comprises: a diesel engine; a generator; a traveling motor; a grid box that converts the electric power generated by at least one of the generator or the traveling motor into heat to consume the electric power; an exhaust gas purifying device, and a controller configured to, in a case of causing the generator to generate load necessary to increase a temperature of the exhaust gas to a cleaning temperature, if determining that additional electric power additionally generated by the generator can be consumed by the grid box, cause the generator to additionally generate the additional electric power to remove the harmful substances deposited on the exhaust gas purifying device, and causes the grid box to additionally consume the additional electric power.