Hydrogen Engine Shut-Off Valve Stall-Aware Failure Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fuel supply systems for hydrogen engines face issues with engine stalls during failure determination routines, leading to potential erroneous shut-off valve failure determinations and hydrogen gas leakage.

Innovation Solution

A controller executes failure determination routines by monitoring pressure changes downstream of shut-off valves while the hydrogen engine is running, stopping the routine upon engine stall to prevent erroneous determinations and minimize gas leakage by closing all shut-off valves.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the failure determination routine continues execution during an engine stall, then the shut-off valve failure detection may be completed, but erroneous failure determinations occur and hydrogen gas leakage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshut-off valve failure detection accuracyVSAvoidhydrogen gas leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The controller applies preliminary anti-action by detecting engine stall conditions (through crankshaft rotation speed monitoring) and preemptively closing the shut-off valve before failure determination can produce erroneous results. This prevents the harmful effect of hydrogen gas leakage by counteracting the potential failure mode in advance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by continuously monitoring engine operation parameters and preparing to interrupt the failure determination routine when stall conditions are detected. This ensures that if an engine stall occurs, the routine can be promptly stopped to prevent erroneous shut-off valve failure determinations and associated hydrogen gas leakage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the failure determination routine is interrupted during engine stall, then hydrogen gas leakage is minimized, but the shut-off valve failure determination may remain incomplete

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehydrogen gas leakageVSAvoidfailure determination completion time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The controller implements preliminary action by establishing interruption criteria before the failure determination routine completes. When engine stall conditions are detected, the routine is preemptively terminated, accepting that the determination may be incomplete but preventing the greater harm of hydrogen gas leakage and erroneous failure detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the harmful effect of interrupted failure determination into a benefit by using the engine stall detection mechanism itself as the trigger for both routine interruption and shut-off valve closure. The same condition that causes incomplete determination also activates the safety response, transforming a potential failure mode into a protective measure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Loss of information

If pressure monitoring continues during engine stall, then failure determination data may be collected, but erroneous shut-off valve failure determinations occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailure determination dataVSAvoidfailure determination accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The controller applies preliminary anti-action by detecting engine stall conditions and preemptively closing the shut-off valve, thereby preventing the collection of erroneous pressure data that would lead to incorrect failure determinations. This prioritizes determination accuracy over data collection during abnormal engine conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by establishing engine stall detection as a prerequisite for valid failure determination. By monitoring crankshaft rotation speed and detecting stalls before they affect pressure measurements, the system prevents the collection of compromised data that would undermine determination reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

Reduces erroneous shut-off valve failure determinations and minimizes hydrogen gas leakage during engine stalls, ensuring safe and efficient operation of the fuel supply system.

Implementation Method 1

monitoring a decrease rate of pressure of the hydrogen gas at a downstream side of the shut-off valve

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure detection:

Data Source

PatentUS20260078706A1controller

Publication Date: 2026.03.19 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A controller is applied to a fuel supply system. The controller is capable of controlling a hydrogen engine and a first shut-off valve and a second shut-off valve which are shut-off valves. The controller closes the shut-off valve when an operation for requesting stop of the hydrogen engine is performed by a user of a vehicle having the fuel supply system, and executes a failure determination routine for monitoring a drop speed of pressure of hydrogen gas on the downstream side of the shut-off valve while continuing operation of the hydrogen engine, and determining that the shut-off valve is not properly closed when the drop speed is slow. The controller stops the failure determination routine when the hydrogen engine is stopped due to an engine stall during execution of the failure determination routine.