Modular Fuel Cell Motorcycle Assembly for Leak Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorcycle assembly procedures for fuel cell systems face challenges in maintaining relative positional relations between devices, leading to potential leaks and complicating leak inspections, especially in line production settings.
Innovation Solution
The motorcycle is designed with a high-pressure side module that supports the fuel tank, filling joint, and first pressure reducing valve, and a low-pressure side module that supports the second pressure reducing valve and fuel cell unit, allowing for separate inspection and assembly of these modules, which reduces the risk of leaks and improves handling and inspection efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the pipe-connection-first procedure is used to hydraulically connect devices before attaching them to the frame, then the hydraulic connection is established early, but the relative positional relation among devices changes during attachment, causing damage to the relay pipe and joint portions and leading to leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel supply system is divided into separate modules (fuel tank assembly with high-pressure side structure, and fuel cell unit assembly with low-pressure side structure) that can be assembled and inspected independently before final integration. This segmentation allows leak inspection to be performed on each module separately without requiring complete assembly, eliminating the risk of pipe damage during frame attachment while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
2Reliability
If the frame-attachment-first procedure is used to attach devices to the frame before hydraulic connection, then the relative positional relation is maintained, but the weight of the inspection target increases and workability of leak inspection is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into removable modules that maintain their relative positional relations within each module while allowing the modules themselves to be detached from the frame for inspection. The high-pressure side structure and low-pressure side structure can be separated and inspected independently, reducing inspection target weight and improving workability while preserving position stability during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between modules and the frame is made dynamic through removable and reattachable structures. This allows the system to transition between a fixed state (when assembled for operation, maintaining positional relations) and a detached state (when removed for inspection, improving workability). The dynamic connection enables both position stability and inspection ease at different operational phases.
3Reliability
If all devices are collectively attached to the frame for leak inspection, then the complete system is inspected, but the handling becomes difficult and productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel supply system is segmented into independent modules (fuel tank assembly, fuel cell unit assembly) that can be inspected separately. Each module contains its own hydraulic connections that can be leak-inspected independently without requiring complete system assembly. This segmentation maintains inspection completeness for each module while dramatically improving handling ease and productivity by reducing the inspection target size and allowing parallel processing of multiple modules.
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
This configuration simplifies the assembly and leak inspection of the fuel cell system, reducing the risk of leaks and improving handling and inspection reliability, making it suitable for line production systems.
Implementation Method 1
a fuel cell unit (2) that generates electric power with a fuel
Implementation Method 2
a first pressure reducing valve (71) that reduces pressure of the fuel to first pressure
Implementation Method 3
a second pressure reducing valve (72) that reduces the pressure of the fuel to second pressure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A motorcycle (1) includes a fuel tank (15) that stores fuel, a fuel filling joint (55) hydraulically connected to the fuel tank (15), a first pressure reducing valve (71) hydraulically connected to the fuel tank (15) to reduce pressure of the fuel to first pressure, a second pressure reducing valve (72) hydraulically connected to the first pressure reducing valve (71) to reduce the pressure of the fuel to second pressure, a fuel cell unit (2) hydraulically connected to the second pressure reducing valve (72) to generate electric power via reaction of the fuel and an oxidizing agent, a high-pressure side structure (75) that supports the fuel tank (15), the joint (55), and the first pressure reducing valve (71) while keeping relative arrangement thereof, a low-pressure side structure (76) that supports the second pressure reducing valve (72) and the fuel cell unit (2) while keeping relative arrangement thereof, and a main structure (77) that detachably fixes the high-pressure side structure (75) and the low-pressure side structure (76).