Variable Inlet Device for Vehicle Fuel and Urea Supply

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing design of diesel vehicles with separate urea and fuel inlets requires additional space and increases material costs due to the need for a larger fuel door opening, making it difficult to design the lateral side of the vehicle effectively.

Innovation Solution

A variable inlet device with a first and second pipe arranged in parallel, featuring a variable injection pipe that can be selectively connected to either pipe by rotation and back-and-forth movement, utilizing a guide member and locking device for precise alignment and secure connection, allowing a single inlet to supply fluid to either passage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate urea inlet and fuel inlet are provided, then fluid supply function is ensured, but vehicle lateral space and fuel door housing size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefluid supply functionVSAvoidfuel door housing size

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The injection pipe is designed to serve multiple functions by being able to connect to either the fuel inlet or the urea inlet. This single pipe replaces what would traditionally require two separate pipes, allowing the same component to supply different fluids (fuel or urea) to the respective tanks, thereby reducing the overall space required in the fuel door housing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the functions of separate fuel supply and urea supply into a single injection pipe structure. By merging these two functions into one component that can selectively connect to either inlet, the design reduces the number of separate components needed and minimizes the space occupation in the lateral side of the vehicle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If separate urea inlet and fuel inlet are provided, then fluid supply reliability is ensured, but material cost and design complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefluid supply reliabilityVSAvoidinlet configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The injection pipe is designed to serve multiple functions by being able to connect to either the fuel inlet or the urea inlet. This single pipe replaces what would traditionally require two separate pipes, allowing the same component to supply different fluids (fuel or urea) to the respective tanks, thereby reducing the overall space required in the fuel door housing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The injection pipe is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be selectively connected to either the fuel inlet or the urea inlet based on operational requirements. This dynamic adaptability maintains fluid supply reliability for both systems while simplifying the overall inlet configuration by using a single movable component instead of multiple fixed ones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10179727B2Variable inlet device for a vehicle

Publication Date: 2019.01.15 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A variable inlet device for a vehicle includes a first pipe and a second pipe arranged in parallel to each other, and a variable injection pipe configured to allow an exit thereof to be selectively connected to an entrance of the first pipe or an entrance of the second pipe by a rotation movement and a back and forth movement.