Vehicle Fuel Tank Fitting Layout Under Tension Bands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tank systems for liquid gas storage face challenges in assembly and maintenance due to the placement of fittings, which are exposed to environmental influences and difficult to access, especially when using tension straps.
Innovation Solution
The tank system positions fittings on the vehicle-side of the tank, under the tension band, and incorporates a housing that can be segmented and detachable, with a coating on the tension band to enhance protection and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fittings are positioned on the tank shell surface for easy access, then accessibility is improved, but they become exposed to environmental influences such as impacts and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a housing structure that encloses the fittings within its internal space. The housing acts as a protective container, nesting the vulnerable fittings inside while maintaining their functional accessibility through integrated design elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves as an intermediary element between the fittings and the external environment. It mediates the interaction by providing physical protection against impacts and corrosion while allowing necessary operations through openings or access points in the housing structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fittings are protected by a housing or sheet material, then protection from environmental influences is improved, but accessibility and maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple separable sections or components. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access specific fittings by removing only the necessary housing section rather than the entire housing structure, balancing protection with maintainability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing incorporates movable or removable elements such as access panels, doors, or detachable sections. These dynamic features enable the housing to transition between a closed protective state during operation and an open accessible state during maintenance.
3Strength
If clamping straps are positioned to secure the tank, then securing strength is improved, but they create stress on fittings when routed over them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fittings from the direct path of the clamping straps by positioning them within the housing structure. This separation removes the fittings from the stress zone created by the straps, eliminating the harmful interaction while maintaining tank security.
4Stability of the object's composition
If support brackets are fixed to the vehicle frame, then stability is improved, but mounting position flexibility is limited by fitting locations
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary that decouples the mounting position selection from the fitting locations. By enclosing the fittings within the housing, the support brackets can be positioned independently based on structural considerations rather than being constrained by fitting positions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tank system for a motor vehicle that can be operated with a fuel, in particular liquefied petroleum gas, comprises a tank for the fuel having a cylindrical shell with a central axis extending in the axial direction, and at least one mounting device that can be attached to the motor vehicle, to which the tank is fixed by means of at least one tension band, wherein a vertical central plane of the tank in the operating position of the tank, which contains the central axis, defines a vehicle-side side of the tank and a side of the tank facing away from the motor vehicle, and at least one fitting connected to the tank is arranged at least partially on the vehicle-side side of the tank and is passed under the tension band.