Purge Pump Emergency Stop via Motor Short-Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing purge pump systems with brushless DC motors in vehicles continue spinning and pumping explosive fluids after a control unit disconnect, posing safety risks in accidents or fluid line failures, as they lack an emergency stop mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A purge pump system with a shutdown unit that receives an enable signal and short-circuits the brushless DC motor upon loss of the signal, ensuring immediate stoppage and preventing further fluid pumping, enhancing safety by actively stopping the motor when the enable signal is lost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a brushless DC motor is used to ensure continuous operation of the purge pump, then the pump can operate continuously with constant volumetric flow, but the motor continues spinning after control unit disconnect causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a shutdown unit that is pre-configured to detect control unit disconnect conditions and automatically activate an emergency stop mechanism. This preliminary preparation ensures that when a disconnect occurs, the system can immediately stop the brushless DC motor without waiting for delayed responses, thereby preventing the safety hazard of continued explosive fluid pumping while maintaining reliable operation during normal conditions.
2Productivity
If the purge pump operates continuously to maintain constant hydrocarbon flow, then volumetric flow control is improved, but the system lacks emergency stop capability when connections are interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using a shutdown unit that continuously monitors the connection status between the control unit and the brushless DC motor. When the monitor detects a disconnect condition, the feedback mechanism triggers the emergency stop function, creating a closed-loop safety system that maintains productivity during normal operation while automatically responding to failure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutdown unit serves as an intermediary component between the control unit and the brushless DC motor. It mediates the control signal flow and provides a safety interface that can independently interrupt motor operation when disconnect conditions are detected, thereby adding emergency stop capability without interfering with the continuous operation and flow control functions.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard purge pumps with brushless DC motors are used, then ease of manufacture and integration are improved, but safety risks increase due to inability to stop pump in accident scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the standard brushless DC motor purge pump with an integrated shutdown unit that provides emergency stop capability. This combination maintains the ease of manufacture and integration advantages of standard pumps while adding the safety function through a compact shutdown circuit that monitors control unit connections and automatically stops the motor when disconnects are detected.
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 guarantees safe continuous operation by automatically stopping the brushless DC motor in critical situations, preventing the pumping of explosive fluids and enhancing operational security in vehicle crashes or fluid line defects.
Implementation Method 1
the control unit is configured for providing the brushless DC motor with a commutative current to effect a relative rotation of the rotor to the stator
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a purge pump system (1) of a vehicle (2) for purging C-H-gas of a tank system (3) to an induction line (4) of a combustion engine (5) of the vehicle (2), comprising a purge pump (6) and gas connection lines (7) for connecting the purge pump (6) with the tank system (3) and the induction line (4), wherein the purge pump system (1) further comprises a brushless DC motor (8) and a control unit (9), wherein the brushless DC motor (8) comprises a rotor and a stator, wherein the control unit (9) is configured for providing the brushless DC motor (8) with a commutative current to effect a relative rotation of the rotor to the stator. The purge pump system (1) further comprises a shutdown unit (10) for receiving an enable-signal of the vehicle (2) via an enable signal line (11), wherein the shutdown unit (10) is configured to short-circuit the brushless DC motor (8) as a response to a loss of the enable signal. The invention further relates to a vehicle (2) and a method for operating a purge pump system (1) of a vehicle (2) according to the invention.