WO2007099149A1

WO2007099149A1 - Method for manufacturing a fuel system

Info

Publication number: WO2007099149A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/051956
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Lesschaeve
Original assignee: Inergy Automotive Systems Research (Societe Anonyme)
Priority date: 2006-03-03
Filing date: 2007-03-01
Publication date: 2007-09-07
Also published as: FR2898084A1

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a plastic fuel system comprising the steps consisting in: providing a tank shell forming a tank belonging to the fuel system; supplying a radiofrequency identification (RFID) system with an identification code; and attaching the RFID system to the tank shell.

Description

Method for manufacturing a fuel system

Introduction

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plastic fuel system and, in particular, a method for identifying the fuel system during its manufacture and/or during its use. Prior art

Plastic fuel systems used in the industry, particularly in the automotive industry for equipping vehicles, generally comprise a fuel tank provided with one or more components that are associated therewith, such as aeration and venting valves, take-up siphons, various sensors and their connections, and gauge and pumping modules .

The range of fuel systems is enormous. The features of these systems may for example vary depending on the type of fuel used, the country of destination, the standards in force, the type of vehicle, the technical options on the vehicle, and the customer's specifications. During the manufacture of a fuel system, a plastic shell is formed, generally by blow moulding or thermoforming, so as to form the fuel tank. The various components are then incorporated during the various finishing phases, depending on the required characteristics.

Given the wide variety of fuel systems, it is important to be able to identify a fuel system during its manufacture. At the finishing station, it is preferably necessary to carry out the correct handling operations in order to obtain the fuel system according to the specification. After manufacture, the fuel systems are generally stored before being shipped to the customer.

It is also advantageous to identify the fuel system during storage and shipping of the system so as to limit delivery errors. It is also desirable to recognize the fuel system during its use on a vehicle, for example for detecting the type of fuel, for replacing the fuel system or for recycling it at the end of its life.

The current technology used to meet the requirement of recognizing and identifying a fuel system is a barcode system printed on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) labels by industrial-type printers. These labels are affixed to the fuel system as they leave the blow moulding machine, thermoforming machine, etc. Such an identification system generally allows identification during and after manufacture of the fuel system. However, these systems have several disadvantages. They require in fact a manual operation to read the barcode. The identification system is not always placed in the correct location and the fuel system must be handled by the operator so as to find the identification system before it is read. Furthermore, the identification system may be easily damaged, making the identification code difficult to read, and in certain cases even illegible.

This difficulty in identifying the fuel system results in time being wasted and may also lead to production and shipping errors. Consequently, it is important to improve the identification of the fuel system.

It should be noted that the problem/difficulties mentioned above are not necessarily specific to a fuel tank but may also be observed with other tanks associated with modern fuel systems, such as for example tanks containing pollution-control additives. These additives are generally intended to be introduced directly into the fuel (for example, the metal salts available in the solutions sold under the brand name EOLYS^®, which are intended to reduce the emission of particulates) or into the exhaust gases from the engine for which the fuel is intended. Urea solutions form part of the latter category, as they allow the amount of NOx present in the exhaust gas to be reduced. Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is to propose a method of manufacturing a fuel system with a more rapid and more reliable identification. This objective is achieved by a manufacturing method according to Claim 1. General description of the claimed invention with its main advantages

According to the invention, this objective is achieved by a method for manufacturing a plastic fuel system. The method comprises the steps consisting in: supplying a tank shell, forming a tank belonging to the fuel system (a fuel tank or a pollution-control additive tank for example); supplying a radio frequency identification (RFID) system with an identification code; and attaching the RFID system to the tank shell.

With such a method, identification of the fuel system is facilitated, in particular during its manufacture. This is because the identification code of the RFID system may be remotely extracted by a read means. With such an RFID system, the identification system does not need to be visible. Even if the identification system is concealed, the identity of the fuel system may be determined. It is consequently unnecessary to handle the fuel system before being able to extract the identification code of the identification system. This results in a time saving when identifying the fuel system. With the method according to the invention, identification of the fuel system is also more reliable thanks to an identification code that cannot be easily modified, either intentionally or unintentionally. Thus, the method of manufacturing a fuel system according to the invention allows more rapid and more reliable identification of the system.

The term "fuel system" is understood to mean any type of system capable of storing a liquid and/or gaseous fuel under varied temperature and pressure conditions and of possibly controlling the pollution by the exhaust gases from the engine for which the fuel is intended. More particularly intended are systems of the type of those encountered in motor vehicles. The term "motor vehicle" is understood to include cars, motorcycles and trucks. The term "plastic fuel system" is understood in fact to mean a system of which the tank (fuel tank and/or pollution-control additive tank) is mainly made of plastic.

The term "plastic" is understood to mean any material comprising at least one synthetic resin polymer. All types of plastic may be suitable. Particularly suitable plastics belong to the group of thermoplastics.

The term "thermoplastic" is understood to mean any thermoplastic polymer, including thermoplastic elastomers, as well as blends thereof. The term "polymer" is understood to mean both homopolymers and copolymers (especially binary or ternary copolymers). Examples of such copolymers are, nonlimitingly, random copolymers, linear block copolymers, other block copolymers, and graft copolymers.

Any type of thermoplastic polymer or copolymer whose melting point is below the decomposition temperature is suitable. Synthetic thermoplastics having a melting range spread over at least 10 degrees Celsius are particularly suitable. Examples of such materials are those exhibiting polydispersion in their molecular mass.

In particular, polyolefins, vinyl polyhalides, thermoplastic polyesters, polyketones, polyamides and copolymers thereof may be used. A blend of polymers or copolymers may also be used, as may a blend of polymeric materials with inorganic, organic and/or natural fillers such as, for example, but not limitingly, carbon, salts and other inorganic derivatives, and natural or polymeric fibres. It is also possible to use multilayer structures consisting of stacked layers fastened together, comprising at least one of the polymers or copolymers described above. Polyolefins have given good results. Among polyolefins, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is preferred, in particular owing to its good chemical resistance to fuel and to pollution-control additives, such as the aqueous urea solutions generally used in SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems.

Preferably, the tank shell is manufactured by blow moulding Advantageously, the method further includes at least one finishing step in which a component is connected to the tank shell.

The term "component" is understood to mean in general any member, for example for measurement or via which liquid or gas passes, or one in contact with liquid or gas, and which fulfils a particular function specific to the fuel device of which the tank forms part, including a function of transporting liquid and/or gas between two other members.

Examples of such components comprise, not limitingly, the following:

> a container that contains any chemical or physical composition, especially a vapour absorption canister; > a liquid or gas gauge;

> an electrical connection terminating in a liquid or gas gauge, a liquid or gas pump and/or filter;

> a safety valve for controlled closure of the tank under certain particular conditions; > a drainable container for receiving liquid;

> an electrical connection for supplying the motor of a liquid or gas pump;

> a liquid pipe terminating in a supply device for any device, especially an engine;

> a liquid/vapour separation device; > a measurement sensor for measuring a characteristic of the fuel in the fuel tank.

Any combination of at least two components may also be used, optionally in the presence of several exemplars of the same component. During its production, the fuel system may undergo several finishing steps, each finishing step comprising a component being connected to the tank shell. One finishing step may comprise the steps consisting in: receiving a tank of a fuel system provided with an RFID system; extracting the identification code contained in the RFID system on the shell of the tank t; fitting a component; and attaching the component to the tank. The choice of component depends on the identification code extracted.

The extraction of the identification code contained in the RFID system on the tank shell is preferably performed by means of radio frequency reading.

Upon arrival of the tank at a finishing station, the identification code contained in the RFID system is automatically extracted by a radiofrequency reader, without the tank being handled further by an operator. The component to be attached is chosen on the basis of the identification code extracted and may be connected by the operator without him having to worry about the identification of the fuel system. The manufacturing process can therefore be speeded up at the finishing station. If several finishing steps are intended, the time saving at each of these steps results in a substantial overall time saving for the method of manufacturing the fuel system.

In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by adhesively bonding a label comprising an RFID system to the tank shell. Such a label may for example be attached to the tank shell at the end of the blow-moulding phase, thermo forming phase, etc. of the shell. The label may, if desired, include additional identification systems, such as visual identification systems. Thus, identification of the fuel system may for example also comprise a code that can be read with the naked eye or a barcode. Thus, the fuel system can also be identified by a final user who may not have a radiofrequency read means.

In another embodiment of the process according to the invention, the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by snap-fastening an element comprising an RFID system onto the tank shell. Such a label can be attached to the tank shell at the end of the blow-moulding phase, thermo forming phase, etc. of the shell, or at a later stage. Such an identification system may, if desired, be detached from the tank shell after the fuel system has been manufactured. Thus, the identification system may be recovered and reused. Alternatively, the identification system may be recovered after the fuel system has been stored or after it has been shipped. However, in general the identification system will remain connected to the tank shell. In yet another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by welding a chip comprising an RFID system onto the tank shell. Such a chip may be welded to the tank shell at any moment during or after the blow-moulding phase. In this variant, the chip is preferably coated with a plastic compatible with that of the tank and/or surface- treated so as to promote good welding quality. A coating based on HDPE is very suitable. The coating may be present only on one side of the chip (that intended to be welded to the tank).

Preferably, the RFID system is a passive system that can work at low frequency, at high frequency or at very high frequency, depending on the requirements. With a passive RFID system, the power needed to transmit a signal from the RFID system to the reader comes from the reader during interrogation. However, it is not excluded to provide an active RFID system in which the RFID system is provided with its own power supply. The method may include the identification of the fuel system using the

RFID system during storage and/or shipping of the fuel system. After the fuel system has been manufactured, it is generally stored before being shipped to the customer. The difficulty in shipping fuel systems to a customer stems, among other things, from the fact that several versions of the same fuel system are manufactured. In addition, various systems may be shipped in one dispatch. The method according to the invention allows the various fuel systems within a dispatch, even when they are packaged, to be identified. Thus, it is possible to check the correctness of the dispatch at the moment of shipping and thus avoid delivery errors. It should also be noted that the fuel system can be identified after it has been fitted into a vehicle. During use of the vehicle, the fuel system may be exposed to external attack (by moisture, gravel chippings, heat, etc.), which may consequently render an identification system unusable. However, in general the identification system comprising an RFID system is not affected by such attack, and identification remains possible.

As mentioned above, the tank intended to receive the RFID chip and forming part of the fuel system may be the fuel tank itself and/or any other ancillary tank, for example one intended to contain an additive for controlling pollution by the exhaust gases, such as an aqueous urea solution. When the fuel system comprises several tanks (for example at least a fuel tank and an additive tank), each of these tanks may include an RFID chip. Alternatively, the fuel system includes only a single chip directly affixed to one of the tanks or applied on one of its components.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Method for manufacturing a plastic fuel system comprising the steps consisting in:

- supplying a tank shell forming a tank belonging to the fuel system;

- supplying a radiofrequency identification (RFID) system with an identification code; and

- attaching the RFID system to the tank shell.

2. Method according to Claim 1, in which the tank shell is manufactured by blow moulding.

3. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, which further includes at least one finishing step in which a component is connected to the tank shell.

4. Method according to Claim 3, in which said at least one finishing step comprises the steps consisting in:

- receiving a tank of a fuel system provided with an RFID system;

- extracting the identification code contained in the RFID system on the tank;

- fitting a component, the choice of component depending on the identification code extracted; and

- attaching the component to the tank.

5. Method according to Claim 3 or 4, in which the extraction of the identification code contained in the RFID system on the tank shell is performed by means of radiofrequency reading.

6. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by adhesively bonding a label comprising an RFID system to the tank shell.

7. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by snap-fastening an element comprising an RFID system onto the tank shell.

8. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the RFID system is attached to the tank shell by welding a chip comprising an RFID system onto the tank shell.

9. Method according to Claim 8, in which the chip is coated with a plastic compatible with that of the tank and/or surface-treated at least on its side intended to be welded onto the tank.

10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the tank is a fuel tank and/or a tank for an aqueous urea solution.